Monday, March 24, 2008

Big Brown Next Up after Adriano

(CHICAGO, IL � March 24, 2008) March is supposed to go out like a lamb, but five inches of snow covered the ground in Chicago on Easter Sunday. The center of the country is stuck in winter, even though spring was officially declared several days ago. The Cubs and the Brewers will play baseball in Wrigley Field a week from now. Someone had better warm the John Deere plows up.

Six hours south of the Windy City, the last of the unimportant Kentucky Derby prep races was held this past Saturday. Come April, thank goodness, the calendar will be filled with Grade I stakes and the path to the roses will begin in earnest. Lane�s End Farm sponsored the $600,000 race, and it�s a safe bet to predict that the winner won�t be standing at stud there. Unless, of course, the mediocrity that we saw in the event�s composition was a mere illusion.

Turfway Park, home to the Lane�s End Stakes, is in Florence, Kentucky, where the commonwealth�s thoroughbred sport carries on when the bluegrass turns brown. Serving a similar purpose as Aqueduct, which is to provide local horsemen a place to race their horses during the off months, the glass-box of a racetrack is made usable by Polytrack, even when the weather turns nasty. Adriano, a homebred son of A.P. Indy, used Turfway�s synthetic surface to his singular advantage. The proven turf specialist effortlessly put two and a half lengths of daylight between him and 11 other runners.

Trainer Graham Motion forecasted the victory by saying beforehand that, if Adriano won, it would not mean that the colt was en route to Louisville. But after owner Donald Adam got a taste of Jim Beam in his stomach, the sentiment was different. By pocketing the $291,400 winner�s share, Adam, a man who has spent millions of dollars at the yearling auctions, assured Adriano a place in the Derby starting gate.

Alas, the Texas banker and real estate tycoon said, �This is a very proud moment. We�ve been in the business a long time, and we haven�t had major success.� Given this situation, he is certain to prevail upon Motion to reconsider the colt�s Derby potential.

Coincidentally, potential is precisely what�s at issue on the Derby trail next weekend. Gulfstream Park will showcase Big Brown, an undefeated, albeit impressive allowance winner, in the estimable Florida Derby. The Lane�s End Stakes telecast team gushed over the possibility that the impressive colt could be heir apparent to War Pass, now that the Breeders� Cup Juvenile champion has proved vulnerable. But Big Brown will have to display his obvious quality against Elysium Fields, Face the Cat, Fierce Wind, Hey Byrn, Smooth Air and a few others - all far tougher foes than ever he�s faced before.

Nevertheless, no rival has gotten closer than 11 lengths to the fleet son of Boundary at the finish of either of his races. Big Brown broke his maiden by 11 � lengths on the turf at Saratoga in September. He won an entry-level allowance mile by 12 � lengths on March 5 at Gulfstream. Trainer Rick Dutrow may be aiming high, but he�s a man who can hit a target. Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux has sat upon a Grade 1 winner or two before.

By next Sunday, turf writers may be writing about Big Brown as if he was Curlin. Last spring, Steve Asmussen�s trainee went into the Arkansas Derby unbeaten, won that prep with ease, and his splashy exploits began the public conjecture that he didn�t possess the experience to win at Churchill Downs.

Well, as it turned out, Curlin�s third place finish in the Kentucky Derby was proof that a horse must have bottom to reach the top. But, in response to the knock that Big Brown hasn�t raced enough, Dutrow said, �Talent like he has makes up for a lack of experience.� If these words sound familiar, they�re the same that came out of Asmussen�s mouth at about the same time last year.

By the way, Curlin will be racing for $6 million in Dubai only hours before Big Brown runs for $1 million in Florida. It would be a treat to the fans if both horses came out of their races richer.

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