Big Brown Healing, Competition Stiffens

With less than two weeks to recover from his recent hoof injury, Big Brown now faces stiff competition in Denis of Cork (pictured) and Casino Drive.

It only took about 10 minutes for hoof specialist Ian McKinlay to repair Big Brown's quarter crack and by all accounts the procedure was a big success.

"A lot of heat had come out from Sunday, which was an excellent sign," McKinlay said. "Probably today he'll be in much better shape. The crack is actually very simple, other than the magnitude of the race. I've done this procedure on horses that have won on the same day.

Big Brown will have his hoof looked at again on Wednesday by McKinlay, who will first clean out the area and replace the stitching. The crack will then be covered by an adhesive and reinforced with a fiberglass patch.

"By today we'll know right where we are," he said. "If the foot cools right out, we'll be extremely close to putting him back together."

Let's hope Big Brown makes a speedy recovery so that he can get in one good breeze before the June 7th Belmont Stakes. Casino Drive has already proven to know his way around Belmont Park; and earlier today Denis of Cork turned in an impressive breeze in preparation for his Belmont Stakes run.

Big Brown Racing to Help New York Family

In an announcement made Friday, the owners of Big Brown have pledged a portion of the thoroughbred's winnings at the Belmont Stakes will go towards helping the family of a policeman who was seriously injured.

Nassau County Police officer Kenneth Baribault was seriously injured in an accident on the Long Island Expressway on May 18th.

"Upon learning of the events of the past week, we the family of Big Brown were deeply saddened, and our prayers obviously go out to the family of the Baribaults," said Big Brown co-owner Michael Iavarone.

"At times like this, it is imperative a community comes together," Iavarone said. "Amongst all the joy and happiness, there is a family in grief -- a family whose officer spends his life taking care of our security. It's imperative that people like us who are in the position we're in now stand up and make something good happen."

Big Brown's jockey, Kent Desmoreaux, will also be getting into the spirit of things by wearing a Nassau County Police department patch on his uniform. (Read the rest of the story on Newsday.com)

The Belmont Stakes run June 7th at Belmont Park in New York. Winning the first place prize should help to give Big Brown additional motivation as he races towards history in his chase for the Triple Crown.

Bet on Big Brown to win the Belmont Stakes!

Big Brown Set to Win the Triple Crown

Following a huge win at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Big Brown now has his sights set on the Belmont Stakes and a place in the history books as the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. Can he do it? If you caught today's Preakness Stakes then you have to believe he's got a darn good shot at it. Big Brown made winning the Preakness look so easy.

"He just set sail," winning jockey Kent Desmoreaux said, "He just kept kicking his legs up and went riding for the wire. There was not a grain of sand in face."

Demoreaux said all he had to do was push the button and just like that Big Brown opened it up and took the race from Macho Again, who placed second, and Icabad Crane, who took third.

When asked if Desmoreaux was nervous going into today's race, here's what he had to say: "I was nervous as nuts!"

The Belmont Stakes is only three weeks away but trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. says his horse will get one breeze and he'll be fresh for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

Belmont Stakes
Date: Saturday June 7th, 2008
Location: Belmont Park, Elmont, NY
Post Time: 6:25 PM (EST)
TV Network: ABC 5 PM (EST)

2008 Preakness Stakes Odds

Big Brown is the odds on favorite to win the Preakness

Almost as fun as watching the Preakness Stakes is betting on the Preakness Stakes. With all eyes on the Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown to take the second jewel of the Triple Crown, you may want to intensify the action by getting on a couple of fun Preakness Stakes proposition wagers (or prop bets). Here are a few to consider:

- Will all the NBC announcers pick Big Brown to win the Preakness Stakes?
- Where will Big Brown be at the quarter pole of the Preakness Stakes?
- How many lengths will the winner of the Preakness Stakes win by?
- Will the 133rd Preakness Stakes attendance be higher then the record 2007 crowd of 121,263?

Post positions will be drawn on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The 2008 Preakness Stakes will be televised by NBC live from the Pimlico Race Course. Post time is 6:15 p.m.

Can Derby Winning Jockey Do it Again at Preakness?

In 1998 Kent Desmoreaux rode Real Quiet to victory in the Kentucky Derby and then at the Preakness Stakes. Now in 2008, 10 years later, and he'll be trying to do it again riding Big Brown at the upcoming 2008 Preakness Stakes.

Scheduled to take place at the historic Pimlico Race Course (that's where Sea Biscuit raced War Admiral to victory) on May 17th, the Preakness Stakes won't feature a field of horses nearly as large as the field at the Kentucky Derby but it will be competitive. Where the Derby featured 20 horses, the Preakness will only feature 14. And aside from Big Brown, the only other horse to do both races this year will be Recapturetheglory, who came in fifth place at the Kentucky Derby.

Desmoreaux, however, will be riding the favorite at the Preakness. Big Brown's big show at the Kentucky Derby has made him the one to watch at the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, and Big Brown's trainer Rick Dutrow says he's good and ready.

"Everything's good here," Dutrow said. "He will go to Belmont after the Preakness. I'll let him hang out at (Bobby) Frankel's barn instead of Aqueduct. I think he should be training at Belmont. Pat Reynolds had him there (last year) and said he really liked the track there."

That being said, now would be a great time to think about betting on the Preakness.