There are 17 days separating Big Brown and his chance to join racing’s elite class of 11 Triple Crown thoroughbreds. If you ask his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., his horse is ready to join the star-studded stable.
“So far he’s been great,” Dutrow said yesterday after his Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner jogged for the first time over the Belmont Park track, where he will go for glory on June 7 in the Belmont Stakes. “This is a big final step to cover. There are a lot of days, and anything can happen.
“If he gets to the race the right way, we can use the word great all we want. We’re excited about it. We’re in a place we’ve never been. I can’t wait to run this race.”
After an early morning jog once around the mile-and-a-half main track, Big Brown was resting in Barn 2, unaware of the competition plotting against him. Dutrow seems just as unconcerned.
“I can’t say I’m worried about the distance,” he said. “The way he’s drawing off against the other horses, I don’t see a difference. He’s learning the game at the right time. The pace, horses to his inside or outside, he handles everything thrown at him. He can handle these horses.”
A few shedrows away a sleeping giant from Japan named Casino Drive lies in wait, fresh off an impressive 53/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Peter Pan. He has been given the best chance to spoil Big Brown’s hopes for racing immortality.
Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for Casino Drive’s connections, is optimistic about their horse’s chances.
“We can compete,” Tada said. “They both have ability, but we have to respect the other runners, not only Big Brown. We don’t know if we’ll be the spoiler or not, we’ll just keep him happy and send him to the gate in good condition.”
As the matchup between both Big Brown and Casino Drive is heating up, jockey and trainer relations are also starting to boil. The decision on who will ride Casino Drive has not been made, but the search for a top American jockey will be made in a few days, according to Tada.
“We got calls from California and all over the country,” he said. “We’ll see who fits best for the Belmont.”
Edgar Prado, who is in the running for the ride on Casino Drive, was questioned by Dutrow about his ride on Riley Tucker in the Preakness.
“I thought Edgar moved too early on his horse,” Dutrow said. “It looked like he tried to keep our horse in the box. We didn’t understand what he did. He had to go out of his way to do it. We’re not happy with it.”
The biggest difference between both horses might be the way they are trained. Dutrow admitted to using Winstrol in his barn, but downplays the anabolic steroid’s effect.
“I know some trainers use it three or four times a week,” he said. “I give it to them once a month. It helps them get into their feed a bit more, and brightens their coat. I have no idea what else it is used for. They allow it, why question it? If they took it away, it would make no difference.”
Tada, when asked about medication, says there is a different approach in Japan.
“We don’t give medication there,” Tada said. “Only if there is a need for it. If a horse gets beat, then it’s his ability. If the medication changes the ability, then I’m not sure about it.”
