Two down for 'Brown'
Big Preakness finish keeps Triple Crown in play
BALTIMORE - He did it with style and confidence, putting him on the precipice of joining the most select group in thoroughbred racing history.
For the second time in three weeks, Big Brown delivered. He roared to a 5 1/4-length victory in the 133d running of the Preakness Stakes, which gives the 3-year-old bay colt two-thirds of the Triple Crown. It's been 30 years since Affirmed swept all three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) to become the 11th Triple Crown winner.
Next up will be the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes June 7.
Unlike the Derby, which had a 20-horse field with no odds-on favorite, the Preakness was more like an extended workout for Big Brown, who had silenced most of his doubters with a 4 3/4-length victory at
From the moment he arrived at Pimlico Race Course Wednesday night, Big Brown had an air of royalty about him and the owners and trainers of the 12 other horses (Behindatthebar was a late scratch) in the Preakness field knew it, almost conceding that they were position ing themselves for second place.
And that's what developed. On a warm, sunny afternoon, Big Brown, a 2-5 post-time favorite, broke from the No. 7 post, let some traffic clear in front of him, and proceeded to dominate the race in romping through what was acknowledged by most veteran Triple Crown observers as one of the weakest Preakness fields in memory.
"I tell you what, I asked him for his stride at the corner," said Big Brown's jockey, Kent Desormeaux. "I looked between my legs, under my arms, and they were 8 [lengths] back. I just stopped riding and reeled him in and made sure he didn't pull himself up."
And it was that easy as Big Brown easily beat Macho Again and Icabad Crane, who both surged in on the wake created by Big Brown.
"We just got beat by a monster," said Macho Again jockey Julien Leparoux. "He might just be the Triple Crown winner. I don't like to be second but it's not bad to be second to this horse."
The sentiment was echoed by jockeys who felt their horses did their best, but were helpless against Big Brown.
"I went after Big Brown," said Jeremy Rose, who rode Icabad Crane, "but he just threw dirt on me."
Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, who had made bold predictions of winning both the Derby and the Preakness, said he had some doubts early, but they disappeared quickly.
"Going down the backside, when Kent got him out and he was laying third on the outside, I knew it was over," said Dutrow. "He just bided his time, then he guided him to the wire. It was beautiful."
The dominant sentiment of the day was echoed by veteran trainer Bill Mott, who watched his horse, Riley Tucker, make a late bid - climbing to second at the three-quarter pole in the mile-and-3/16ths race - before Big Brown blew past him and the entire field.
"Big Brown is a monster," said Mott.
The "monster" will rest for a day and then make the trip back to his home base in New York tomorrow and prepare for his next - and perhaps final - challenge of the spring season at Belmont.
"I was nervous and scared about the two weeks [between the Derby and Preakness]," said Dutrow. "But he's overcome everything. I was not surprised that he won so easy because I know we have a good horse and I know he was running a race where they didn't have good horses running."'
Waiting in New York will be an undefeated Japanese-owned horse named Casino Drive, who Desormeaux has ridden and respects so much that he says the exacta of Big Brown and Casino Drive is a lock.
Dutrow, when asked about Desormeaux's evaluation, laughed and agreed. And he offered a message to Casino Drive's owners and handlers.
"[Casino Drive] looks like a nice horse," said Dutrow. "No. 2. I believe he can't beat our horse. So all Japanese people are going to think when they come here they thought Godzilla was dead.
"They're going to find out he's not dead, he's here."
