About Big Brown.....?

Question

Amanda G.: So, then, perhaps what we and BB's connections should be asking ourselves is: Did BB have sufficient water to drink before the race? (I know it sounds simplistic, but in a frenzied atmosphere, basic mundane elements can be overlooked or ignored.)

Answer 1

Heat was mentioned as a factor many times in answers. Heat and dehydration goes hand in hand. There's are a lot of opinions on questions and answers on Big Brown.  Check them out, some ridiculous.  Soon we'll all know for sure.  I wish him the best.  He's a beautiful horse.

I don't know what everyone is so disturbed about.  Big Brown's past performances are phenomenal. Something was definately wrong Saturday.  How could some not wish him the Triple Crown, that's what this was all about.  I would have love to see history in the making.  In my opinion we haven't seen the last of him...look for him to possibly race in The Travers and/or The Breeders Cup.  Keep the faith.  And, you're right dehydration could be his problem, and is a very serious condition that shouldn't be overlooked. Good eye.

Answer 2

he has first quarter cracks, and lasic

the air may have had something to do with it but the race was mainly because he wasnt on his prescribed steroids. His lungs just gave out.

Answer 3

possibly, but the rest of the field had to deal with heat as well

Answer 4

BIG BROWN got kicked at the most critical part of the race and he changed leads in the process. jocky had no choice but to pull the horse up...he was not going to recover in time to win...

Answer 5

Ok...I got a little long winded, I don't blame anyone for not reading it, but this is a subject on which I am passionate and my opinion is firm.

The media has already shown it, Big Brown's foot, with the patched quarter crack is fine.  His legs are fine, an examination by a vet turned up nothing that would cause him to have lost the race.  There is nothing wrong with the horse, his owner's have stated on record to the media they intend to send him on to the Traver's Stakes.  Steroids do not play that big a role in a colt or stallion's body that having missed his injections would simply cause the horse to lose.  Intact male horses produces more natural steroids than are contained in Winstrol.  It has more of an effect with geldings, especially older geldings.  For anyone paying attention during and after the race, Big Brown was sweating very little for a horse that was running so hard on such a hot day with the incredibly high humidity that plagued Elmont, NY that day.  Sweating is the body's method to cool itself, take away that air conditioning and a horse can overheat to the point of death extremely quickly.  Reduced sweating or the complete failure of the body to sweat is called anhydrosis and is very dangerous.  Other horses were coming off the track soaking wet, but Big Brown was dry over the majority of his body.  With no natural air conditioning running would overheat him, being swung out by his jockey and forced to run 7 wide over a distance that is longer than he has ever been asked to run?  As is evidenced by what happened...it was too much.  People who repeatedly and incorrectly claim the race was fixed or blame the owner or trainer for not scratching the horse need to come to grips with reality.  Horse racing suffered horribly before it became a goverened sport, fixing was common and drove the betting public away...without this lifeblood of money, racing became crippled and barely managed to hobble it's way to safety in the 1940's and 50's.  If the race had been fixed everyone related to the horse would have been called on the carpet, and yet no one has, they would have been dealt with harshly and quickly, yet all the people involved with Big Brown remain at his side.  The decision to run him at all was a sound one.  Horses work and race everyday with quarter cracks, though without the proper intervention, this injury can sideline a simple pleasure horse for months, with the care and immediate attention Big Brown received from Ian, who happens to be one of the best farriers in the United States, the crack was stiched together with wire and then patched with acrylic that was stronger than his actual hoof.  The proof shows, the hoof is still well patched and shows no sign of problems.  I admit to being disappointed, I have followed horse racing closely since the very first and truly, the most emmotional Kentucky Derby I have ever witnessed and that was Unbridled winning for a widowed owner who couldn't even see her horse run, listening to the trainer as he calls the race for her still gives me chills.  But I had lost hope in the thoroughbred breeding industry, I felt the push to produce more had lamed racing forever, that the world would never again see a Triple Crown Champion in an era that was marked by the Derby traffic jam, twenty horses, often half of which I never thought deserved to be in the race.  The Preakness seemed to take on the sole responsibility of proof of the 'great one' and the Belmont became spoilers paradise, where no one was trying to win so much as ruin the chance of the one that had a shot.  But in Big Brown I saw something else, the same class and talent as horses of old, a horse that proved himself able to overcome challenge after challenge...only to have foolish mistakes rip all that away.  Now I am left hoping that his owners will allow him to continue to run, to prove himself again instead of retiring him early to Three Chimneys Farm.  I ask them to let racing be what it once was, the racing, not earning money.

Water is often restricted or removed before a race, but even with free access to water, if anhydrosis was part of the problem being given water would not solve the issue.  I worked as a barn manager for a dressage trainer and instructor, her olympic hopeful was a dutch warmblood who suffered from anhydrosis.  Access to water did not help, all we could do was work him at the coolest parts of the day and when done we would hose him with cool water and follow with a scraper, then use a brace bath, 2 parts water, 1 part liniment, sponged over his entire body and follow with a scraper, then put him under fans.  This was the fastest, most efficient way to bring his body temperature back down, we also generally monitored his temperature immediately after a workout and then every half hour until it was back within normal ranges.

Answer 6

What I don't understand is why so many people still focus on the quarter cracks??



Do those that do this not know a whole lot about the history of quarter cracks?  Of course I didn't, but I did a lot of reading.  And I listen to what many people say about them.  That horses run on tracks every single day across this country with them.  That Big Brown had a pretty serious one when he won his maiden!!  The quarter crack in my opinion is not an issue.

I absolutely think that what you are saying - the air quality, oppressive heat, whatever - plays a part.

The reason I can say this with a lot of certainty?  I am a disabled person with severe chronic pain and dibilitating fatigue.  The heat plays a HUGE PART in my health - to the point of making me feel like I have cement instead of blood in my veins.  I feel like I am an electrical appliance and someone has unplugged my cord from the electric outlet!  Literally, drained of all energy.  I had plans to go to a very special lunch today - been planning it for over a month.  I couldn't go, because the heat took it's toll on me.  

I also feel that the other jockeys played a huge part into keeping Big Brown from winning.  I posted a question on this, which if you care to read it, it's about 5 below this one.  There are links that have the information that need to be read in order to understand the whole scenerio.

To make all of that into a summary - YES, I absolutely think that this is in part the reason for what happened yesterday.  I believe that all of the other stuff - quarter crack, steroids, etc. aren't the issue here.  If they played any part at all, it's so small that if the other things weren't an issue, they wouldn't have been either.

Answer 7

i live about twenty minutes from belmont park.  let me say this yesterday the humidity was out of this world.  i was sweating buckets just standing around.  with that being said all the horses had to deal with it not just big brown.  personally im getting sick of trying to figure out why he lost.  fact is he lost.  triple crown winners are warriors.  big brown wasnt yesterday.

Answer 8

laura xo, his lungs didn't give out.  His jockey said he just wasn't the horse that he usually is., and the jockey would know.  He just didn't have a good day.