The Saga of Big Brown

The Saga of Big Brown

Joseph Di Rienzi

Big Brown winning the 2008 Kentucky Derby

As we approach this year’s Belmont Stakes, there is a distinct possibility that the unbeaten racehorse, Justify will accomplish what only twelve other thoroughbreds in history have done – namely capture horse racing’s Triple Crown (winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes). Justify’s achievement would be singular in that he did not race the previous year as a two year-old and would have had only five previous starts prior to the Belmont. Ten years ago in 2008, another lightly raced thoroughbred, Big Brown, who although he did have a single start as a juvenile, was on the same racing precipice as Justify coming into the Belmont Stakes as a strong favorite with only five previous lifetime races. 

A blocky bay son of the speedy sire Boundary from the Nureyev mare, Mien, Big Brown’s ownership changed three times in two years. Sold at a yearling auction for $60,000, he was purchased in 2007 for $190,000 at a two year-old in training sale by Paul Pompa Jr., who named the colt after the nickname for the United Parcel Service with whom he frequently did business. Trained initially by Patrick Reynolds,  Big Brown won his initial two year-old start, a maiden race on grass at Saratoga by 11¼ lengths. After this victory, Pompa received several offers for his colt. He eventually sold 75% of Big Brown to IEAH Stables (that had Mike Iavarone and Paul Schiavo, as the co-Chief Executive Officers) who turned the horse over to its trainer, Richard Dutrow Jr. (In another parallel to Justify, Big Brown’s ownership now included a partnership with multiple investors.) Noticing the horse had cracked hooves, Dutrow decided not to race Big Brown the rest of the year.

At the beginning of 2008, Big Brown was on nearly no one’s classics hopeful list. He resumed racing at Gulfstream Park on March 5, 2008 in a 1 mile contest, originally scheduled on turf. When rain forced the race off the grass onto the dirt, Big Brown showed no trouble with the different surface, winning by 12¾ lengths in relatively fast time. Now with a horse definitely on the Triple Crown radar, Big Brown’s connections entered him in the Florida Derby where he drew the outside no. 12 post, a distinct disadvantage because of the short run to the clubhouse turn on the 1 1/8 mile Gulfstream Park configuration. Under jockey Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown made the task look simple, sprinting to the lead by the time the field went around the first turn, setting fast fractions and pulling away for an easy 5 length victory in an impressive final time. So in less than a month, Big Brown had raced himself from unknown status to favoritism for the Kentucky Derby.

The 134^th Kentucky Derby drew a maximum of twenty starters. During this time period to provide some pre-race drama, the connections of the entered horses had an opportunity to choose their post position after drawing a random number which determined the order of preference. In a surprise move, the Big Brown team picked the far outside, post 20, even though other positions where available when their time came to choose. Either from arrogance or racing acumen, picking the far outside post insured that Big Brown at the start would be free of any possible interference. By post time, Big Brown was the betting favorite with Colonel John and Pyro the second and third choices, respectively. Fox Hill Farms’ Eight Belles, a tall gray filly, was, however, the public’s sentimental favorite.

Despite the large field, the running of the Derby was straight forward. It was what occurred shortly afterward that left a hollow feeling. After the break, Big Brown gradually worked his way to be fourth  from the lead heading into the clubhouse turn. Losing ground around that bend, Desormeaux settled  his colt in sixth place on the outside down the backstretch off the moderately fast pace. Urging Big Brown to run around the far turn, Desormeaux got a strong response as the son of Boundary passed horses so that by the top of the stretch he had gained the lead. Meanwhile, Eight Belles, although in relatively the same position going into the far turn as Big Brown, was trapped between horses. Once free in the stretch, the filly took flight after Big Brown, but there was no catching the latter as he drove to a 4¾ length winning margin. Finishing third, another 3½ lengths Denis of Cork.  Colonel John flattened out after launching an abbreviated rally to finish sixth, and Pyro could do no better than eighth.

Despite Big Brown’s heroics, the day belonged to the gods of darkness. Eight Belles, in pulling up after the race, fell, breaking both her front legs. With such a severe injury, she could not be saved and was euthanized on the racetrack. The death of a filly in America’s greatest race produced a barrage of anger directed at her connections, Churchill Downs and thoroughbred racing in general. People in racing know this danger is always lurking in the sport. They can do their best to mitigate the risks, but when high strung animals are taxed to their maximum physical ability, there is always the danger of a catastrophe.

In the winner’s circle, the connections of Big Brown seemed oblivious to the tragedy. They hooted and hollered on their success of having a colt win the Kentucky Derby off only three races. For Richard Dutrow, who emulated fellow Maryland based Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bud Delp in his brashness, this was the apotheosis of his training career. Jockey Kent Desormeaux was no stranger to the Derby’s winner’s circle having worn the blanket of roses twice previously (Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000).

The Preakness Stakes was all about Big Brown. Now accorded superstar status, he appeared unchallenged among his peers. Of his eleven Preakness rivals, only Gayego (who finished seventeenth) returned from the Kentucky Derby to face him. Unlike his previous races, Big Brown was on the inside going to the clubhouse turn as he tracked pace setters Gayego and Riley Tucker. Down the backstretch Kent Desormeaux eased his mount to the outside, and it was just a question of when the rider would ask Big Brown for his run. It came around the far turn as he cruised to the lead on the outside. Once in the stretch, Big Brown bounded clear of the field and was wrapped up by Desormeaux in the late stages to win easily by 5¼ lengths. Finishing second was Macho Again who was ½ length in front of third finishing Ichabad [sic] Crane. The final time was good and everything about Big Brown’s performance seemed superior.

With plaudits now streaming in for the hulky son of Boundary, Big Brown seemed poised to emulate Seattle Slew as the only other undefeated Triple Crown winner. Winning the Belmont Stakes appeared to be a mere formality for this brilliant colt. However, the lesson learned in thoroughbred racing is that no outcome no matter how certain it appears can be taken for granted.

The first sign of trouble appeared about a week after the Preakness when it was reported that Big Brown had a recurrence of the quarter crack problem that curtailed his juvenile season. After a hoof-lameness specialist stitched up the crack, the colt returned to his preparation for the Belmont. During the Triple Crown series, Richard Dutrow admitted (New York Daily News, May 16, 2008) giving his horses (including Big Brown) an injection of anabolic steroids once a month. (Big Brown would not, however, have an injection before the Belmont.) Dutrow further said, “I do not know what it [steroids] does. I just like using it." This attitude coupled with Dutrow’s previous drug violations and revelations about past illegal business practices of IEAH Stables’ co-Chief Executive Officer, Michael Iavarone, led to an unsavory feeling for the whole Big Brown team.

Big Brown was the prohibitive favorite in the Belmont, but he broke a little unsteady from his inside post position. Unable to get to the outside early, Desormeaux steadied his mount around the turn and found room down the long backstretch run as 38-1 shot Da’ Tara took the early lead. All seemed well until Desormeaux roused Big Brown to go after the leaders towards the end of the backstretch but received no response. Meanwhile, Da’ Tara was stretching his lead while setting even fractions. Around the far turn, it was clear that the Triple Crown bid was lost and, in a shocking move, Kent Desormeaux pulled Big Brown up at the top of the stretch not finishing the race. Unchallenged, Da’ Tara strode to a 5¼ length victory over Denis of Cork who had 2¾ lengths on dead-heating Anak Nakal and Ready’s Echo.

The Belmont winner was owned by Robert LaPenta and trained by Nick Zito. This was the second time a Zito trained runner had foiled a Triple Crown bid as his Birdstone out-finished Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes. (The name Da’ Tara is a variation of the name pirates gave to the main character, Edmond Dantès, in the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo.)  Da’ Tara, the horse, had a modest background prior to the Belmont, winning just a single race from seven starts. In addition, Da’ Tara never won another race after his shocking Belmont victory.

For the connections of Big Brown, who would blame a combination of his foot problems, a dislodged shoe, not racing on steroids and the excessively warm weather on Belmont Stakes Day for their horse’s defeat, they would incur the disappointment and indignation of the racing public.

Big Brown, now an enigma, would race only twice more, both times at Monmouth Park. Back on steroids, he won both the Haskell Invitational Stakes and a specially constructed race on grass called the Monmouth Stakes. Aiming for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the son of Boundary, never raced again, reportedly suffering an injury after an October workout. Big Brown was initially retired with great fanfare to Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

Richard Dutrow continued to train with great success until his record of drug violations (both human and equine) caught up with him. He was denied a license to train in Kentucky, and Dutrow is currently serving a ten year suspension by the New York Racing Association that began in 2013. In 2017, Dutrow, unable to pay his fines and numerous debts, filed for bankruptcy. Michael Iavarone also had a fall from the top. James Tagliaferri, a major funder for IEAH Stables, was caught taking illegal kickbacks from the company for obtaining investors, and he was found guilty of investment adviser fraud, securities fraud and wire fraud. As a consequence, IEAH Stables was disbanded in 2013. (More recently, Iavarone, along with his second wife, has gotten back into racing, ostensibly without any other partners.)

Big Brown, heralded at one time as a super horse, started his stud duties at a fee of $65,000. After only moderate success (although siring major winner Dortmund), he was transferred in 2014 to a stud farm in New York. Now standing at a different New York farm, his 2018 stud fee is $6,000.

So the saga of Big Brown concludes on a somber note.However, on a June Saturday in 2008 just before the Belmont Stakes, thoroughbred immortality seemed to be within his grasp and lasting fame for all those associated with this charismatic racehorse.