Horse Racing Needs Big Brown vs. Curlin More Than Ever

By bsd987, Section Other Sports
Posted on Wed Aug 20 2008 at 4:29 PM EST
More on: Big Brown, Curlin, Horse Racing, Thoroughbred Racing, Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby, Match Race, Breeders' Cup (all tags)

Some things disappear. Vanish. Just go away.

Sure, there are reasons, explanations, scapegoats, but the simple fact is that things disappear.

Unfortunately, down that same path more things might disappear.

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American Horse Racing's Biggest Gamble

By BillB159, Section Other Sports
Posted on Wed Jun 25 2008 at 10:41 PM EST
More on: Horse Racing, Big Brown, Belmont Stakes (all tags)

There will be a lot of gambling done on Belmont Stakes Day: millions of dollars will be won and lost at tracks all across the country. But the biggest gamble will be taken by the sport itself. Barely a month after the death of Eight Belles, racing will go all-in, betting on the injured hoof of Big Brown and hoping for the big score every bettor wishes for.

The satisfaction of that score has already diminished; Big Brown's story is not as heartwarming as local legend Smarty Jones's, nor is his trainer a big ol' teddy bear you can root for. There are no Frances Genters to accept the trophy if he wins; Big Brown is owned by what is basically a hedge fund of investors. And then there is the issue of his sore feet; the quarter-crack he currently has may not be a big deal to his connections, nor to his doctors, but it is a news story that scares the bejeezus out of most of the folks that will tune in to ABC on Saturday.

What if he breaks down?

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