What did the Haskell tell you

Question

about Big Brown ?

Answer 1

Everyone's complaining that the horse didn't win by more, but the final time of 1:48 was still really good.  I would have liked to see the horse make more of a response when Kent asked him to run at the 3/8 pole.  At that point, I thought we were going to see the Belmont all over again.

During the Triple Crown, everyone was saying that he hadn't even been tested.  Kent never had to go to the whip because the horse was already winning by a ton.  At that time, it was my opinion that the horse was already giving what he had and a whip wasn't going to matter.  In the Haskell, Big Brown proved my assessment correct... Kent whipped him all the way down the stretch, but Big Brown didn't go any faster than he did in the final furlongs of his previous races.  The final 1/8 was 13 seconds... that's not a monsterous explosion in the stretch... that's slower than a lot of horses work out in the mornings (granted, morning workouts don't generally start with 11 second eighth miles and usually aren't 9 furlongs).

I'm glad that Big Brown won... I'm afraid that he would have been retired if he had lost to Coal Play, so I'm happy that he lives to fight another day.  I don't think he's any Curlin, but he still is the best 3 year old.  I think there's a lot of horses who can beat him: Curlin, Zenyatta, Ginger Punch, Well Armed, etc.  I think that he's a talented 3 year old grade 1 winner, but not as amazing as he was with the steroids when he beat up the Derby competition.

I have to wonder if his front left leg hurts him a little bit.  In the Belmont and the Haskell, he was on the final turn when Kent asked him... that means he was on his left lead... and the horse had no response whatsoever.  Kent stopped him at that point in the Belmont.  In the Haskell, he let him keep running, changed leads at the top of the stretch, then asked again... that's when the horse kicked on and gradually passed Coal Play.  The horse runs sound, but twice now, he hasn't wanted to give anymore while he's on the left lead.  The front left is the hoof that he had the quarter cracks in.  The cracks have healed, but I wonder if that hoof still bothers him just a little bit.

edit: Big Brown Fan's edit reminded me of something I had wanted to say... I believe Big Brown's best distance is probably a little longer than 1 1/8 miles.  He can't go 1 1/2 miles, but he has a good combination of speed and stamina that allow him to run fast and wear down the other leaders.  Other speed horses can't hang on as they reach a long distance, and closer horses can't catch Big Brown when he's on the lead.  Shorter distances give other speed horses a chance to beat Big Brown.  If the race was 1 1/4, Big Brown would have beaten Coal Play by a lot more than he did... and I don't think Cool Coal Man would have been able to catch him.  Big Brown may have been a little surprised by the shorter distance after he ran 10, 9.5, and 12 furlongs in his last 3 races... that could explain his dawdling before making a late kick in the stretch.

Answer 2

It showed me that he has little chance of winning the Breeders cup.

Answer 3

That Big Brown wants no part of Curlin!

Answer 4

Many questions, but a win is a win. I had a feeling Big Brown was ready, he didn't blow them away like everyone probably expected. He spoiled us early on this year with great performances. Having some doubt would be normal due to his mystery Belmont flop. On paper, he was better than any other horse in the Haskell.  As a handicapper...I learned to always throw out one ( his last) bad race.  Again, I had a feeling Big Brown was ready, as I stated in another Haskell Question..you may want to search the other Haskell question under this horse racing category. In the Belmont I felt Kent didn't let Big Brown go to the lead and held him back.  This style riding is common to hold a horse back and then open him up. But, with a machine horse like Big Brown it's best to let him do his thing.  Next, I think there's a chance we may see Big Brown in the Travers Aug. 23..I guess will see.

Two out of my chosen three horse came in:

~ 4 Big Brown

~ 6 Coal Play

~ 7 Atoned

However, I decided not to bet the TRI and went with my second decision bet 4/ALL winning the exacta.  

Hope you enjoyed the race as much as I did.

Answer 5

Well as someone who has not been interested in horse racing in my whole life up until watching BB, it shows me that BB is a good horse who at the very least is getting people interested in horse racing who never had any interest in it before. My heart dropped when it looked like BB was going to lose. It is rare, the feeling you get when you see anything horse, person, etc. show such effort to win. BB may not be one of the best horses of all time, but he surely is a competitor that made my day by coming through in the clutch to win. I hope BB continues to redeem himself, but if he doesn't he still has done a lot for the sport.

Answer 6

I think more questions than answers. This was such a weak field. The 2nd place finisher  just lost in an optional claiming race. I don't think this horse right now is anywhere near good enough to beat the top horses that will be competing in the Breeders Cup.

Answer 7

big brown now is not a big brown before,the way i see the race it was all kent doing his job as one of the finest jockeys,curlin is the horse,sudden impact is the horse(japan 3 crown winner).

Answer 8

The Haskell tells me that if Big Brown is to have any chance to win the Breeders Cup they need to do what the late trainer of Skip Away did with his colt (trainer's name eluding me at the moment). Shane Sellers got sacked (fired) when Skippy suffered a few defeats when Sellers tried to rate the horse. Mike Smith was put up and Skippy basically adopted a "I'm going to the front and you can't catch me approach" which led to a BC Classic win and was followed up by that awesome season in which the horse basically raced all over the country winning grade 1 after grade 1. I think Big Brown needs to adopt this style. I know the horse is destined for the shed already anyway, but to win the BC Classic, I think this would be Kent's best bet.  

Answer 9

That Big Brown is without a doubt the best 3 year old running. The Belmont was a fluke, loose shoe, bad jockey decision, whatever. I am very disappointed to hear that Big Brown will not be entered in the Travers and really hope that they don't retire him until after the Breeder's Cup. Horse racing needs Big Brown and a matchup against Curlin in the Classic would be fantastic.

It should also be noted that the Da' Tara, winner of the Belmont, ran last in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

Answer 10

The horses are the stars. BB is a very nice horse but not a triple crown champion. Also his trainer has a big mouth and sometimes God tries to teach you to shut up. Maybe he learned maybe not. The horses are the stars and they deserve the credit. Not some big mouth that should not be allowed in the sport.

http://www.saferhorseracing.com/gpage17....

Answer 11

he is not what he was made out to be.  a weak field and he had trouble with it.  since they stopped the steroids the horse is average.  he will not win the classic.

Answer 12

Well, for one, I was shocked at how much ground he covered in the last few yards. That was awesome. I think he's got a great shot at the Breeders, but I'm not willing to make any sure predictions yet. You can bet I'll be rooting for him. And he is a fantastic thoroughbred. Maybe this race will refill his (and his team's) confidence.

Edit:

Now that it's been a day, I'll add a bit more to that previous answer. I honestly think that Big Brown was a bit discouraged after the Belmont--and rightfully so. I was sure it was going to be a repeat of that race after the last turn, but somehow Kent woke him up and I saw a glimpse of the Derby and Preakness winner. I have a feeling that's he's going to show it all in his next race. Curlin had better watch his back.

Also, people have criticized him for not winning by more, but his time was good, and did you see how he was flying at the end? Another furlong and he would have had quite a lead. He just kicked in late.

Answer 13

Apparently, yahoo! answers, doesn't want me to, but I'm going to try this again...I'm starting to get kind of annoyed actually since it will let me answer other questions and it's letting others answer this one.

"What does the Haskell tell me?" ...that he still isn't 100 percent. He struggled down the stretch to get it done, but at least his determination to win hasn't been dampened. I felt like the Belmont was a throw away and with this win he's gone a way toward convincing me of that, but I'd still like to see how he does against the older horses.

Hey!  Look at that, this pos decided to let me answer eventually....only took about three hours.