Why did Big Brown lose?

Question

Big Brown was the odds all favorite to be the winner past Sunday. With all the hype, it wasn't a question of "if he would win..." rather "by how much?" Big Brown would win. Was it the lack of his steroids? Was it his cracked heal? Was it the weather? take our online poll and post your theories.

http://www.retards.com/chat/sports-news-retarded/262-why-did-big-brown-lose-triple-crown.html

Answer 1

Well, one reason I think is his cracked hoof that just recently got fixed. The jockey couldn't push him the hardest he has before because of the pain. Or he could of just had an off day.

idk

Answer 2

Belmont is the most difficult of the triple crown races because its a longer track than the Derby or the Preakness.

Simple explanation Big Brown got smoked by the entire field

BTW if you flip the results upside down Big Brown did win.Big Brown is more like Big Looooser

Answer 3

was the lack of steriods I feel. Maybe it was fixxed to lose

Answer 4

I agree with much that has been said, particularly the comment about Big Brown not having 'the look' of champions in his eye.  He is a good, but not great athlete who never had to face much competition on his way to the Belmont.  If he had ever faced the likes of a Man O'War, Secretariat or other true greats, no one would even know his name.    

Secretariat raced against some of the greatest thoroughbreds of his era and still managed to not only pull off a Triple Crown but thrash the field by 31 lengths.  We will probably never see another truly great race horse legend, only because the sport has changed -- the horses have too much work put on them at an early age and are bred for speed alone, at the expense of strength and stamina.  

It's all about making the most money off them in the shortest period of time so the owners can start raking in the big stud fees.  

It's a nasty business and this year's Derby when I watched Eight Belles being destroyed was my last race ever.

Answer 5

He pulled a Calvin Coolidge and did not choose to run.

Answer 6

he was preiously doped up on the 15th of every month except for the Belmont.   Not being doped up caused this powerful horde not to be so powerful........

Answer 7

This question can be argued till Big Brown finally finishes the race.  

My own feeling is that Rick Dutrow knew something by the time of the race - he didn't seem to be his usual, loud mouthed self.

My other feeling is that the previous racing greats said "not today".

Answer 8

2Simple Big Brown did not win because he was not the first horse to cross the finish line.I think it was the creaked heal just patched a couple of days before race.When asked to run to catch leaders the pain in his foot was too much and he just could not perform as he has in all his other races.I f it was not such an important race Big Brown would not have raced.There was not enough time for his heal to mend and when he pulled up you could see he was not putting his weigh on that foot as much.

Answer 9

I think it was a combination of all the things you mentioned. Doesn't seem like anyone else will say so, but I think he got a pretty rough ride early from the jock. I don't think that helped. He missed a few days of training with the hoof crack, that didn't help either. He had alot to overcome.

Answer 10

It was no surprise to me that the horse lost.  I think there were several factors.  Despite the assurances from the trainer, farrier, and vet, that quarter crack may have played a major factor, not only in disrupting the training, but also that the horse may have been more aware of it than anyone suspected.  This was his first mile and a half race, and the strain of racing is far more intense than training gallops.  

One last thing, I never saw that look in his eye.  Secretariat had it, more recently Barbaro had it, but I never saw that in Big Brown.

Answer 11

Almost every horse who wins the Derby and Preakness is going to be the odds on favorite to win. Big Brown isn't the only horse to have come up short.

A heavy favorite losing isn't exactly uncommon in horse racing. Horses are fragile, don't always run their best race, the pace of the race is a factor, the surface is a factor, there are any number of reasons a horse doesn't run his best on any given day.

Answer 12

Big Brown performed for about a minute or so, just like he did in the Derby and Preakness.  But the Belmont is a 2 minute race and after he had run the same distance as before, he was toast.

Answer 13

He was already bothered and flustered by the switch to the security barn, and then his jockey frustrated him still more by riding too cautiously and getting him stuck behind a wall...he just didn't have that fire.