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NEW YORK -- In the midst of some of the greatest sports discussions in recent memory, of the Celtics and the Lakers, of Wilt Chamberlain and Joba Chamberlain, there is one athlete the Big Apple is rolling out the red carpet for.
Big Brown.
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| Trainer Rick Dutrow on Big Brown: 'When he gets the lead, it's over.' (Getty Images) |
If you don't know by now, his trainer, Rick Dutrow, is quite confident.
"Winning the Triple Crown is a foregone conclusion," he said, doing his best Joe Namath. "Casino Drive has no chance of beating our horse. When he gets the lead, it's over."
How much fun is this? Dutrow's only concession, he told me, is that he'll wear the same suit he wore at the Derby and the Preakness.
Superstition? Nope.
"It's the only nice suit I have," he said.
Big Brown has reason to be celebrated. He's won his races by 39 lengths. He's got a Hall of Fame jockey in Kent Desormeaux, and Bob Baffert, who competed for back-to-back Triple Crowns with Silver Charm and Real Quiet, says Big Brown is "the best horse I've ever seen."
"He's a freak of nature," Baffert said. "He has quality speed, stamina and the mental toughness. And his quarter crack is an issue, not an injury."
Big Brown's left front toenail has had more attention than the women of Sex and the City in a pair of Manolo Blahniks. For more than 10 days, it's been the talk of the backside. Ian McKinley, the renowned blacksmith who's been treating Big Brown -– from cleaning and suturing the hoof until he patches it later this week -- is tired of the talk.
"This horse is worth $50 million," said McKinley, exasperated. "Why would we jeopardize him? It's a slight, slight crack and he's fine."
Those who saw his work on Tuesday would have to agree. Big Brown worked five furlongs in a minute, exactly where Dutrow wanted him. Unless his feet go Bill Walton on him, Big Brown will be unfettered; not even the post should bother him.
