Big Brown, Big Red and IEAH

[Split Rock]

BIG BROWN vs. BIG RED
No horse, and very few athletes, have been as revered in their sport as Secretariat. Books, articles, documentaries and many columns have depicted the legendary animal. It had been almost sacrilegious to use Secretariat to compare a good, even great, horse. Secretariat was untouchable, unapproachable and without comparison. Until now.

Big Brown appears to be as talented as any runner in recent memory. He may be as talented as any runner in non recent memory. It is virtually impossible to get a gauge on Big Brown in relation to his competition since it is widely agreed that the 2008 crop of three year olds is well below par. In order to put Big Brown's resume into perspective, we might have to go back 35 years, to the hallowed 6 week span that stamped Secretariat as the measuring stick.

Secretariat came into his three year old season as a much heralded prospect by winning Horse of the Year honors as a two year old. Big Brown had only one race, albeit an astonishing 11 1/4 abolishment of a good MSW group at Saratoga on the grass. His 1:40.1, 90 Beyer, performance brought the current connections out of the woodwork and they laid out $3,000,000 to take majority ownership. While it's fair to say both Secretariat and Big Brown were impressive as two year olds, they could hardly be compared. Secretariat was proven. Big Brown was nothing more than a "potentially" great colt in which the racing public has seen fizzle out many times.

The 1973 and 2008 Kentucky Derby stretch runs were eerily similar. Secretariat pulled away from Sham and those two were 10 clear of the rest of the field. Big Brown and Eight Belles finished over 8 lengths ahead of the 18 other Derby runners. If you watch the replay of the Big Brown and Secretariat moves on the far turn, you could be watching the same colt.

Both Secretariat and Big Brown made electrifying moves at some point during their Preakness efforts. Both races are worth reviewing more than once simply because horses do not make that kind of athletic, confident, awe inspiring accelerations during a Grade 1 race. Neither race was remembered as much for how many lengths they won by but more for the "visual" performance in general. The 2008 Preakness will be forever remembered as late Satruday afternoon workout for the winner. Going into the Belmont, it can be argued, dear I say, Big Brown has been "more" impressive than Secretariat in the first two legs of the Triple Crown and at very least, has been equally impressive.

Secretariat's legend was stamped on June 9, 1973. 31 lengths. No other adjective needed. 2:24 flat is a world record for 1 1/2 miles that should last forever. Will Big Brown run a race in New York that can be compared? Not likely. There weren't but maybe two horses to ever run that could have finished within 5 lengths of Secretariat that day, much less beat him outright. So, what does Big Brown need to do in the Belmont in order to keep pace with Big Red? A repeat of any of his previous 5 races would probably work just fine.


IEAH
Secretariat ran 6 more times after his majestic Belmont win. It was important for the racing public to revel in his greatness for those final 4 months before he was whisked away to the breeding shed. It is already confirmed Big Brown will not race as a four year old. He needs to face Curlin in the Breeder's Cup Classic.

The IEAH group has been painted as a self absorbed, self important, lot, that cares only about being profitable. Allowing Big Brown the opportunity to face Curlin in a match up that has not been seen in racing since Easy Goer/Sunday Silence would help improve their tarnished image. Sports have been built on great showdowns. Ali/Frazier, Lakers/Celtics, Nicklaus/Palmer, Bruins/Canadians, etc. As a racing fan, the anticipation for said match up would be at an all time high. The IEAH group would certainly earn my respect for keeping Big Brown in the game through that big event.