Big Brown Is Back
By Audrey Nolan
One of the most known horses in the racing world - Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will be competing once again this Sunday at the $1 million Haskell Invitational race at Monmouth Park. Big Brown is one of the favorites to win the 11/8 mile race despite the fact this will be his only participation after racing at the Belmont Stakes last early June.
The expectations on Big Brown at the Belmont Stakes were not met as the horse was thought to win the race in order to become another hall of famer by winning the Triple Crown an achievement that has not been reached since 1978. Nevertheless, Big Brown has been training really hard and the horse managed an early work out of a sizzling six-furlong in 1:10.96 at Aqueduct last Saturday.
The co-president of IEAH Stables, Mike Lavarone stated that “They are saying that was one of the best workouts laid down at Aqueduct. We couldn't be happier with the way he's coming into the race.” This is indeed a very hopeful thought as both the horse’s owner and the trainer feel Big Brown has still a lot to offer to the racing tracks.
The Haskell Invitational race will also welcome two other very strong competitors Cool Coal Man and Coal Play which are trained by Nick Zito; besides Alaazo, Atoned, Magical Forest and Nistle's Crunch. The name that stands up more in the list is that of Zito's Da' Tara that won the Belmont in a very surprising way as the horse was not one of the favorites to grasp the crown.
Big Brown’s trainer Rick Dutrow has been working very hard on the horse’s preparation as the horses’ performance will determine whether he continues doing his job or if he will be replaced if Big Brown does not successfully finish his next challenge. Rather than looking back, Dutrow has been focusing on the future and making sure Big Brown whose background includethe Kentucky Derby and Preakness will impressively win next Sunday’s race.
Dutrow was recently interviewed at the Aqueduct barn as there have been rumors regarding his work and the horse’s decrease of success. He is very aware of the need to better the performanceand this coming race means a lot for him and the team behind him. This will be pretty much a test for the entire IEAH Stables staff.
On the other hand, Lavorone’s new perspective is to regain Big Brown position as a leading racing force in the coming weeks. There is no question the horse has accomplished many victories in a short period but still he believes there is so much to come that it will be a real waste not to allow it to happen. Lavorone is very supportive of Dutrow and they are both working as a united team in order to make sure victory will knock on their door again.
Big Brown's future racing schedule will depend on what happens at the Haskell Invitational. Dutrow had previously stated that he would love to run at the Travers in Saratoga next August 23rd, but he knows that running again in 20 days may not make a lot of sense for the horse, especially now that the objective for the team is the Breeder’s Cup Classic within a couple of months on October 25th at Santa Anita racing track.
About the Author
Audrey Nolan is a high-ranking writer on sports for the online betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its whole on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.