from Left at the Gate:

I found these comments by Dutrow, made to Bill Finley in the NY Times, to be quite interesting:

Dutrow had a similar experience in 2005 with the Kentucky Oaks starter Sis City, who ran a dull fourth as the favorite in the Oaks and had no apparent excuses. After the Oaks, she continued to train and act like a horse who was on top of her game, yet she lost her remaining five starts. Sis City has been in the back of Dutrow’s mind while preparing Big Brown for the Haskell.

“When we had Sis City and ran a sub-par race in the Oaks, she never ran another step again, even though she trained great,” Dutrow said. “I pointed her toward big races and she never showed up in any of them again. When something like that happens where horses just doesn’t run their race, and you don’t know why, then you’re concerned that it might happen again.” [NY Times]

There are of course many examples of horses going off form and staying there, for reasons physical, mental, or both. I'm sure Dutrow has had his fair share, and I can't help but get the feeling that something about Big Brown seems uneasily familiar to him. This is certainly a far, far cry from the brash confidence he displayed during the Triple Crown.

That is interesting DC, thanks for sharing.



Edward

Well, he was almost prophetic. BB won, but he certainly wasn't up to form. What happened to the push button?