Jersey shore-up?
Today's Haskell Invitational crucial to image of Big Brown
OCEANPORT, N.J. - This time, there was no fanfare. No swarming crowds ready to crown him thoroughbred racing's next superstar. No television crews watching his every move as he adjusted to new surroundings.
Big Brown arrived at Monmouth Park yesterday morning after an uneventful van trip from Aqueduct. He moved into the stable area at around 8 o'clock with hardly a ripple of attention. Just another horse hoping to make a name for himself in this afternoon's $1 million Haskell Invitational.
It is not that way, of course, for the 3-year-old bay colt who carried the extra weight of greatness on him all spring as he breezed to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Big Brown, whose name was inspired by UPS, delivered - in a big way.
Everything about Big Brown was big. He had won all five of his races (by a combined 39 lengths) going into the Belmont, each in more dominating fashion.
Super horse? He was until the Belmont, when he was pulled up by jockey Kent Desormeaux, and finished last. Gone was the brashness, expressed loudly by trainer Rick Dutrow. Each day brought more questions than answers, including the issue of steroids, particularly significant for Dutrow, whose link to drug use in his horses has been well documented.
Until the Belmont, Dutrow, like he had with most of his other horses, had used the drug clenbuterol - a legal steroid that helps burn fat and promotes muscle growth - on Big Brown. With all the attention on steroids and Big Brown, Dutrow chose to take his horse off the drug. Another Dutrow-trained horse, Salute the Count, surpassed the allowable level of clenbuterol the day before the Kentucky Derby, which prompted a 15-day suspension for Dutrow, who is appealing.
Other possible explanations for Big Brown's poor Belmont showing were the horse's lack of training because of a previous hoof injury, a loose shoe early in the race, or the ride by Desormeaux (although sensing the situation, Desormeaux pulled him up, wanting to prevent a possible catastrophic injury).
Eight weeks later, Big Brown is ready to run again. Or is he? No one knows for sure, which has changed the atmosphere around a horse that is still scheduled to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Oct. 25, with a possible final tuneup in the Massachusetts Handicap Sept. 20 at Suffolk Downs.
"The Mass Cap is an option," said Big Brown's co-owner, Michael Iavarone, who listed the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Sept. 27 as another possibility.
"We always welcome the opportunity to get quality horses," said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer of Suffolk Downs, when asked about the possibility of Big Brown coming to the track. "It would be great if he would come, and we will certainly do everything we can to get him."
Yesterday, Dutrow downplayed a possible trip to Boston.
"In my mind, there really isn't an attractive choice out there," said Dutrow, who would have liked to run in the Travers in three weeks but has concerns about Big Brown racing again so soon.
But what if Big Brown comes up short again today? Iavarone has all but said it would mean the end of Big Brown's racing career. Despite optimism concerning the way Big Brown has trained, doubt lingers.
"You can't go out and say I expect my horse to run the race of his life, because we just don't know why he pulled up [in the Belmont]," said Iavarone. "We have to go out and say, OK, let's turn the page [if he runs well].
"If he doesn't run his race in the Haskell, then there's a problem that we can't fix."
Yesterday, at least, Dutrow thought things were fixed with Big Brown. Standing in the paddock area watching his horse go through some schooling exercises, Dutrow said he saw nothing but positive signs.
"He has had great workouts, he looks good, everything is great," said Dutrow, who had Big Brown run 3 furlongs (in a solid 38.3 seconds) on the turf Friday at Aqueduct. "He likes the turf."
Big Brown's appearance yesterday was low-key. There was scattered applause when he showed up in the paddock area, with only a handful of fans watching. In many ways, Big Brown is back to where he was before the Derby - a horse with a good reputation, but . . .
He is the prohibitive (1-2) favorite in a seven-horse field that has no major threats. Big Brown should win big, but even Dutrow, who talked about "locks" and made guarantees in prior races, has questions.
"It's kind of hard for me to feel as confident as I was for the Derby and the other races," Dutrow said, "but I feel as confident as I can that he's going to run his race. I felt that for the Belmont, and something went wrong. I just can't see him doing anything other than run his race. I don't know why he wouldn't."
The problem for Big Brown is that he didn't run his race in the Belmont, and everyone seems to have a reason.
"I know the horse went into the Belmont in very good condition," said Dutrow, "and whatever happened, I don't have an idea, but if it happens again, I'm going to know something is wrong with him."
Iavarone knows the Haskell is more than just a race for Big Brown. It is a career crossroads, perhaps the last race Big Brown ever will run.
"If he runs this race poorly, [the critics] are going to throw everything at him," said Iavarone. "He's off steroids. He's been running against weak horses. Anything you can imagine will be thrown in his direction, and it's unfortunate. If he didn't run that way in the Belmont Stakes, then I'd come into this race saying he's going to run the best race of his life. That's how good he trained up until that race."
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com. 