What makes a champion?...... RE: big brown?

Question

people say big brown is a champion T.B, i disagree! he is a 3yo in his first preparation, he has been beating mostly second rate horses, he has not raced against older, smarter more seasoned horses and you only have to do a little research to see he's not on the all time money earners list, or the most stakes wins list, he hasnt travelled overseas and won races, all he's done is win 5 races against second rate horses!

im not saying he's a donkey, he's a good horse, but NOT a champion! yet!

a champion can back up a winning preperation with another winning preperation he hasnt done this, a champ can beat older more seasoned campaigners he has only raced against 3yo's, a champ can also travel the world and win he hasnt! so what makes him a champion? is it just the names of the races he's competing in? i know it sure isntt the quality of fields he's been beating!

Answer 1

never bet against a unbeaten horse! this horse is going to improve! secretariot? no but who knows?

Answer 2

Comparing apples and oranges here...

T.B.s usually fully mature at 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 years of age

and your making the mistake of thinking in terms of Australian Thoroughbreds.

The Foal season for Australian race horses starts in August... Weekend Hussler was Foaled November 2004

  

The Foal season for N.American horses starts in January...

Big Brown was foaled April 2005

Big Brown won't see older horses till late summer and Fall if he's not retired by then.  He will be 3 1/2 years old when this happens.

Weekend Hussler took on olders right when he turned 3 and he finished 10th.

3 months later at 3 1/4 years of age he beat older horses "in an Australian Stakes SPRINT race"

A very Impressive feat... but he's still a sprinter and miler (1.6K)

So was that race more impressive then being undefeated and winning the Derby from Post Position #20 ... The most coveted American race at a Mile & 1/4 for 3 yearolds....?

I'm gonna say No

Sprinters and Milers do not get the same admiration the Classic distance horses do... Nor should they...

I mean Quater Horse spinters don't get the respect T.B.s do

Could Big Brown beat Curlin at Belmont this June if the Belmont was suddenly open to 4 year olds...?

I'm gonna say No... ughhh-uh!

Is Weekend Hussler a great horse, Oh Yes I will definately use him in my Pick 3s and Pick 4s during the Breeders Cup this fall!

Should he be the best rated 3 year old in the world? Not if Brown wins the tripple and Brown is almost a lock for winning that.

Plus if Big Brown does not retire and faces Curlin and wins... He'll become either one of the top 5 or 10 best N. American T.B.s ever to live.

Answer 3

Yes, Big Brown is on his way to being a true Champion. He is definitely a sensational and superior race horse with championship status hovering over him, awaiting to be bestowed. However, quite simply, the term "Champion" is commonly understood in horse racing as a horse that has earned championship status by winning the Eclipse award (or equivalent award per country) for his / her age and / or category.  For example: Secretariat is a 5 time Champion (Eclipse Awards: 1972 Horse of the Year, Champion 2 Year Old Colt, 1973 Horse of the Year, Champion 3-Year-old Colt, and Champion Turf Horse). As it stands for now, Big Brown is so highly regarded that it is probably acceptable to refer to him as a “Champion”.  But, I prefer to reserve the title for the horses that have earned it by way of a championship award, such as the Eclipse award. Even if Big Brown doesn’t win an Eclipse award he will always be looked upon as a champion in the eyes of many admirers. I believe that is wonderful and it only accentuates his awesome qualities.

Answer 4

dunno im just looking forward to takeover target coming over to uk and getting thrashed

Answer 5

Your right in a sence

You do not need to travel overseas for one

But there are other horses that could out run him

but they choose not the derby

so Now if they continue to run him

then we will see whos the best

you have some good points

Not every TRIPLE CROWN WINNER MAKE THEM THE BEST OVER ALL ONLY IN THAT GROUP OF HORSES

LOOK AT OTHERS that have run after the derby and won

now thats saying something

The overseas thing is wrong

We here in America do not need to go there

we have enough rich races to stay here

they usually come here to win and make more money

Answer 6

Big Brown has already accomplished a lot, If he can go on to win the Belmont he should with out doubt be considered the best 3 yo in the world.His true test will be in races like the Whitney,The pacific classic, Jockey Gold Cup or any other G1 stakes against older horses.He would be a lock to win the horse of the year award if he wins The Breeders Cup Classic.                               .                                  As far as Weekend Hustler he is a sprinter probably would beat Big Brown in 6 furlong race but would not have much of a chance in 1 mile or longer.

Answer 7

A horse is a champion when they have defeated every other in their division, and decisively so. Big Brown has not faced his best competition. He has not faced Casino Drive, who is the most obvious horse to beat. He has not faced the best of the fillies as of now (or for that matter the older Ginger Punch and Zenyatta). He has not faced any older horses, including the Irish invader Heatseeker and the much improved Tiago. But most importantly, he has not faced Curlin. And if Curlin is better than he was last year, Big Brown will be crushed when they meet up. Sure, the Derby was an impressive race, but Big Brown has yet to run something as spectacular as Curlin's JCGC or his BC Classic, or even his Dubai World Cup (which had a similar scenario to Big Brown's Derby - the competition couldn't compete, but the competition Curlin faced was better than those who faced Big Brown). As I currently think that Curlin would beat Big Brown by a solid ~3+ lengths in a classic distance race, if they were both in top lifetime form, I do not think that Big Brown should be recognized as a champion or even horse of the year if he does not face Curlin and the older horses in a summer/fall campaign.

Answer 8

I'm going with the obvious answer that Big Brown has won more money.  He has $2,714,500 USD after 5 races and your horse has $2,222,187 USD after 11 races.  Less obvious is that Big Brown broke his maiden on first asking by 12+ lengths and hasn't thrown in any 10th place clunkers.  

But like another poster said, you can't really compare the two horses.  Weekend Hussler is a turf sprinter/miler and he'd be running as a 4-year-old here.  So I'd suggest researching our 4-year-old grass sprinters/milers to make a better comparison.  That's who he'll be running against if he does the Breeders Cup.

Answer 9

big brown is not a champion.  YET. if he wins the belmont stakes he will have won the triple crown which is not just the hardest feat to pull off in horse racing. but also one of the hardest feats to pull off in all of sports period.  winning three races, all different distances in five weeks is ridiculously tough.  has your little australian horse won three races in five weeks?? no he hasnt.  truth be told why would big brown go around the world to race? we have the biggest races here in the united states, you people come to us.  with the exception of the dubai world cup which after the way curlin destroyed the field this year is questionable at best anyway.  reminder, Curlin lost in the belmont last year.  so there the biggest race outside of the united states was won by none other than the runner up in last years belmont.  if your horse is so good, they should bring him to the breeders cup classic and watch him get destroyed.

Answer 10

Weekend Hussler is rated as the best 3-year-old sprinter in the world.  The ratings I read usually rate route horses higher than sprinters.  Maybe that's why Weekend Hussler is rated below Big Brown.  Big Brown has also earned a little more money than Weekend Hussler.  Big Brown is currently at $2,847,741 when converted to Australian dollars.  

As to why Big Brown is considered a champ:  In the US, we generally hold the Kentucky Derby winner in high regard because it's our most prestigious race.  Plus Big Brown did a couple of special things in winning the Derby -- he was the first horse since 1929 to win from post 20 and the first since 1915 to win with only 3 lifetime starts.  Then he went on to win the Preakness so that elevated his status even more.  

Even though Big Brown broke his maiden on turf, he's considered a dirt horse because he's won all his big races on dirt.  Dirt horses get a lot more attention and respect in the US than turf horses.  We pay very little attention to turf horses, no matter how good they are.

We don't usually race 3-year-olds against older horses until after the Triple Crown season.  So he hasn't had a chance to prove himself against more seasoned horses yet.  Hopefully he'll run in the Breeder's Cup this fall, so then we'll see how he fares against the likes of Curlin.