Big Brown wears the roses in tragic Kentucky Derby

As Big Brown rumbles past the wire, Kent Desormeaux celebrates his third Kentucky Derby trophy (Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com)

IEAH Stables & Paul Pompa Jr.’s BIG BROWN (Boundary) entered the 134th
Kentucky Derby (G1) with only three starts under his girth, one of which came as
a juvenile, and exited the prestigious event as only the seventh undefeated
winner of the Run for the Roses. With a jubilant Richard Dutrow, who had hyped
his horse all week long, cheering him on, Big Brown and jockey Kent Desormeaux
pulled away from his rivals to cross under the finish line 4 3/4 lengths the
best, running 1 1/4 miles in 2:01 4/5 on the fast track.

Unfortunately, the greatest two minutes in sports was marred by the tragic
breakdown of the game filly Eight Belles (Unbridled’s Song), who separated
herself from the rest of the field to be a clear second under the wire. As she
was galloping out under jockey Gabriel Saez, the tall gray filly suddenly fell
to the ground. It was reported that she suffered condylar fractures of both of her front
legs and
was immediately euthanized.

“After we passed the wire, I stood up,” Saez explained. “She started
galloping funny and I tried to pull her up, but she went down.”

“I have not really had time to speak to the jockey yet, but from what
I know she was around the three-quarter pole when she fell,” an
obviously upset trainer Larry Jones said. “It looked like she had a condylar fracture
in one leg and went ahead and broke the other. Both cannon bones were
broken when I got to her. There was no way to save her, she could not
stand.

Big Brown commences his run to glory (Patrick Tyrell/Horsephotos.com)

Big Brown had to break from the far outside 20 post and was widest of all
entering the first turn, but wasn’t that far away from the pacesetters. Settled
in sixth behind the front runners, the massive bay colt loped along
about four off the rail as Bob Black Jack (Stormy Jack) set splits of :23 1/5,
:47 and 1:11. Desormeaux urged his mount on as the field neared the final turn,
and Big Brown responded.

Slowly but surely, the three-year-old increased the rpm of his massive stride
until he had suddenly catapulted himself around the field and in front through a
mile in 1:36 2/5. Easily drawing off from there, Big Brown crossed under the
line a convincing winner of only his second stakes try.

“Well, I’ve got to say, going down the back side, I didn’t know what Kent
knew at that time, and he was laying like fifth or sixth and there was some
horses going on the inside that looked like they were moving up on him, and I
got a little bit nervous at that point,” Dutrow admitted. “But Kent knew that he
had plenty of horse underneath him, and he just bided his time. It was all good,
Brown showed up.”

Big Brown simultaneously bucked two historical trends. The first Derby winner
since Regret in 1915 with just three prior starts, he also ranks as the only
horse besides Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win from post 20. Clyde Van Dusen
accomplished that feat before the advent of the mechanical starting gate.

In a class by himself, Big Brown justified his favoritism, and trainer Richard Dutrow’s unbridled confidence (Mathea Kelley/Horsephotos.com)

Big Brown was worth $6.80, $5 and $4.80 as the near 5-2 favorite while keying the $141.60 exacta with
Eight Belles. The lovely lass was easily best of the rest by 3 1/2 lengths for Jones, who went
from the heights of joy after winning Friday’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) with Proud
Spell (Proud Citizen) to the depths of despair after Saturday’s Derby.
She returned $10.60 and $6.40 at 13-1. Denis of Cork (Harlan’s Holiday)
rallied from last for
third, paying $11.60 and ending the $3,445.60 trifecta at 27-1. Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat),
sent off at 37-1,
took up the fourth spot another 2 3/4 lengths back and ended the nice $58,737.80 superfecta (20-5-16-2).

Rounding out the rest of the field were Recapturetheglory (Cherokee Run),
9-2 second choice Colonel John (Tiznow), Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop),
5-1 third pick Pyro (Pulpit), Cowboy Cal
(Giant’s Causeway), Z Fortune (Siphon [Brz]), Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), Visionaire (Grand Slam), Court Vision (Gulch), Z Humor (Distorted Humor), Cool
Coal Man (Mineshaft), Bob Black Jack, Gayego (Gilded Time), Big Truck (Hook and
Ladder), Adriano (A.P. Indy) and Monba (Maria’s Mon).

Big Brown has joined an elite band of unbeaten Kentucky Derby heroes (Charles Pravata/Horsephotos.com)

Big Brown was transferred to Dutrow and picked up a new rider in Desormeaux. He
didn’t reappear until March 5, when he easily captured an
allowance at Gulfstream Park by 12 3/4 lengths, but still wasn’t considered a
top Derby contender due to lack of seasoning, and, more importantly, graded
earnings. A trip to the Florida Derby (G1) changed all that, with the shiny bay
colt moving to the front soon after the start and merely toying with his rivals
while posting a five-length score. With that victory, he propelled himself into
the Kentucky Derby picture and, ultimately, the history books.

With the
winner’s share of the Derby’s $2,211,800 purse, Big Brown boosted his
career earnings to $2,114,500.

Bred in Kentucky by Monticule, the Derby winner brought the gavel down at $190,000 at the
2007 Keeneland April Two-Year-Olds in Training sale. He is out of the winning
Mien (Nureyev) and counts the unraced two-year-old filly My Chestnut Girl (Horse
Chestnut [SAf]) and an unnamed yearling filly by Touch Gold as half-siblings.
This is the same female family as 1997 champion older mare Hidden Lake (Quiet
American), who captured that year’s Hempstead H. (G1), Go for Wand S. (G1),
Beldame S. (G1) and Shuvee H. (G2).