Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow thinks the Belmont Stakes is a walkover. That the Triple Crown is a pending coronation for the Kentucky Derby–Preakness Stakes winner. Why, everyone is rooting for Big Brown to become racing’s first crown winner in 30 years, aren’t they?
Uh, not really. Ten rivals are expected for the June 7 race before a record crowd of more than 120,000. Several are capable of an upset, especially with Big Brown nursing a minor hoof ailment.
But Dutrow sounded awful naive Thursday for someone who brags too much. He couldn’t believe rumors of rivals ganging up on Big Brown like some NASCAR team. There’s no way Big Brown must overcome a zone defense, is there?
“If somebody did that they might get assassinated after the race,” Dutrow said. “I can’t imagine anyone doing anything stupid just to keep us from winning the race.”
No one’s saying a rival jockey will shove Big Brown over the rail, but history shows the Belmont is the toughest leg not just for its 1 1/2-mile length, but because strategy plays a prominent role. Rivals don’t mind knocking off a Triple Crown contender because the winning trainer and jockey both earn $60,000.
“I don’t feel the jockeys and trainers would care if another horse was to win the Triple Crown,” Dutrow said. “Why would they go out of the way to look not so good in the racing game? I just don’t see it happening.”
Actually, it happened in 2004 when undefeated Smarty Jones finished second. Normally, the Belmont is a slow pace until the final half mile, but three rivals alternately pushed Smarty Jones early to leave the favorite defenseless when 36-1 long shot Birdstone swooped past in the stretch. There was a lot of hard feelings and finger pointing afterwards, but Smarty Jones jockey Stewart Elliott shouldn’t have been suckered into a hard early pace.
There’s growing anti-Dutrow sentiment, too. The brash Hagerstown, Md., native was suspended three times for personal drug use and banned 60 days in 2005 when two horses tested positive for an illegal substance. There were so many medicinal violations over an eight-year stretch than even Dutrow recently joked of deserving half of them. It’s not a clean rap sheet that fans want associated with the next superstar.
“I know there are some people out there that think the wrong way of me,” Dutrow said. “That’s fine, but if anyone is not rooting for Big Brown were to meet this horse I’m sure they would root for him.”
Racegoers are eager for the 12th Triple Crown champion, but purists aren’t convinced this group deserves the title. It’s not Big Brown’s fault to have faced a weak crop of three-year olds, but there haven’t been any Secretariat-like performances to rank the colt among the immortals, either.
Maybe Big Brown will prove his greatness in the Belmont. That is, if he’s not stuck in traffic.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
