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Big Brown heads for the finish line in
Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Big Brown Wins the Kentucky Derby
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Big Brown remained unbeaten in his career and became the first horse since 1915 to win the Derby in his fourth career start. Runner-up Eight Belles broke both front legs and was euthanized on the track.
30 Second Summary
In the week preceding the race, many pundits felt that this year’s race lacked a standout horse. Big Brown proved them wrong.
In a dominating performance, Big Brown got a clean trip on the outside and made his move on the final turn. He pulled away from the field and cruised to a 4 3/4 length victory.
His performance was no surprise to trainer Rick Dutrow, who spent the week boasting about his horse's ability. “I feel if we run our race, if he breaks clean, I haven't seen a horse yet that can beat Big Brown,” he said, “I just don't see it.”
Dutrow is a controversial figure, having been suspended multiple times, including a 2005 suspension for injecting his horses with performance-enhancing drugs. Today, however, he is on top of the horse racing world. “I can't express my feelings,” he said, “only that it was one of the most incredible feelings I ever had, and I can't wait to feel it again.”
Sadly, Big Brown’s accomplishment was overshadowed by the death of the runner-up. The only filly in the race, Eight Belles collapsed after crossing the finish line and needed to be euthanized.
"She went out in glory; she went out as a champion to us," said trainer Larry Jones, “We're heartbroken; we'll miss her every day."
In a dominating performance, Big Brown got a clean trip on the outside and made his move on the final turn. He pulled away from the field and cruised to a 4 3/4 length victory.
His performance was no surprise to trainer Rick Dutrow, who spent the week boasting about his horse's ability. “I feel if we run our race, if he breaks clean, I haven't seen a horse yet that can beat Big Brown,” he said, “I just don't see it.”
Dutrow is a controversial figure, having been suspended multiple times, including a 2005 suspension for injecting his horses with performance-enhancing drugs. Today, however, he is on top of the horse racing world. “I can't express my feelings,” he said, “only that it was one of the most incredible feelings I ever had, and I can't wait to feel it again.”
Sadly, Big Brown’s accomplishment was overshadowed by the death of the runner-up. The only filly in the race, Eight Belles collapsed after crossing the finish line and needed to be euthanized.
"She went out in glory; she went out as a champion to us," said trainer Larry Jones, “We're heartbroken; we'll miss her every day."
Headline Link: Big Brown wins, Eight Belles is euthanized
Some questioned Dutrow’s decision to choose the outside post, but his strategy paid off. Big Brown had a clean trip and was positioned to make a commanding move on the final turn. Eight Belles, Denis of Cork and Tale of Ekati finished well behind him. Eight Belles suffered a fracture in one leg trying to pull up after the race; in an attempt to stabilize herself, she injured the other one and collapsed. She was euthanized on the track.
Source: The Blood-Horse
Background: Dutrow’s confidence and the pundits’ skepticism
Heading into the race, most analysts didn’t think there were any star horses, like Street Sense and Barbaro in the last two years. The Louisville Courier-Journal’s Eric Crawford declared it a “B-List” field that’s more “George Hamilton than George Clooney.”
Source: Louisville Courier-Journal
FindingDulcinea ran a story on the wide-open Derby field with no clear favorite. Big Brown was a seemingly weak favorite; though he had shown indications of greatness, injuries limited him to just three career races.
Source: FindingDulcinea
Dutrow never doubted his horse’s talent, declaring that there were no other horses that could beat him. “Until somebody shows me the beast, this is not a tough horse race,” he said, “If he breaks clean, it's a mismatch on paper. It's that simple.”
Source: Chicago Tribune
Key Players: Rick Dutrow
Eleven years ago, Dutrow was living in a tack room at Aqueduct Racetrack and training just a single horse. Since then, he has built an impressive career, training 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam and now winning the Kentucky Derby. However, he has been suspended numerous times—“Half of them I deserved. Half of them I didn't,” says Dutrow—including a 2005 suspension after two of his horses tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Dutrow denies injecting his horses with illegal drugs.
Source: Louisville Courier-Journal
Writer Paul Moran reviewed Dutrow’s suspensions and his “unsavory reputation” in the racing world. He predicted a Big Brown victory would cause a “torrent of scrutiny, innuendo and conjecture” about Dutrow’s past and the issue of illegal drugs in horse racing.
Source: Paul Moran at the Races
Dutrow wrote a diary this week for the New York Post, writing entries on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. In Saturday’s entry, he expressed his desire to win the Triple Crown: “I'm dreaming Triple Crown, not thinking it. You can't help but dream. I'll always dream. Any horseman, jockey, owner, they dream of the Triple Crown. That's got to be why you get in this game. To win it.”
Source: New York Post
Reference: Horse Profiles, Race Replay and Kentucky Derby Guide
The Blood-Horse provides a biography, analysis of racing and pedigree, and a history of auctions and races for Big Brown, Eight Belles and the eighteen other horses in the field.
Source: The Blood-Horse
The findingDulcinea Kentucky Derby Web Guide links to the best sources for learning the history and traditions of the races and finding news and analysis.
Source: findingDulcinea
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