Rick Dutrow, Jr., the trainer of Triple Crown contender Big Brown, knows just where to place the blame for Big Brown's failure to win the Belmont - Jockey Kent Desormeaux.
I was willing to give Dutrow a little benefit of the doubt. Sure, he had been in trouble for doping horses. He associated with people caught up in penny stock schemes. He ran his mouth like T.O. high on Michael Irvin's coke. He disparaged other horses. Now, let me be the 10 millionth to say it: Rick Dutrow, Jr., is a total asshole.
blahblahblah Asshole Rankings: Rick Dutrow > Dick Cheney > Kobe BryantWhat about the Goddamned horse, Rick? Desormeaux got perfect trips in the 20-freaking-horse Derby and the Preakness. He had Big Brown in excellent position in the Belmont, just off a meandering pace. Sure, he was a little more outside than was optimal, but against this competition that shouldn't have mattered. He did everything right, up to and including the moment he pulled Big Brown up when it was obvious he could not win, preserving him to spawn his expensive progeny.
Big Brown did not want to run Saturday. From the start he was jerking his head to the outside on every stride. We need to remember that this was the horse's 6th race. We don't know if he: a) sucks in the heat, b) gets disinterested off a slow pace, c) chooses not to run every 6th race or so, d) doesn't like starting on the rail, e) can't re-fire after he gets slowed down to preserve him for a 1.5 mile race, f) is injured or ill in a way that doesn't show up clinically, but also doesn't make him want to run, or g) any other reason under the Sun.
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We do know Kent Desormeaux is a good jockey who routinely obtains results. We do know Rick Dutrow, Jr., is a weaselly asshole who is nearly universally disliked by the other trainers and nearly everyone else in the industry. If I were Michael Iavarone of Big Brown's ownership firm, IEAH, I think I'm dumping Dutrow and sticking with Desormeaux.
Let's compare and contrast mistakes made by Desormeaux and Dutrow:
Desormeaux
--Ran a little further off the rail than optimal
Dutrow
--Incentivized spoiling Big Brown's run with his mouth
--Changed Big Brown's training regiment between the Preakness and Belmont
--Skipped Big Brown's injection of Winstrol
--Caught cheating
--Associated with known criminals
Yeah, Rick, I'd be deflecting too. Asshole. Maybe you can drop about 175 pounds and ride him yourself next time.
6 Responses:
My dad had a horse with a hoof-crack, and it definitely affected him even though it seemed fine just walking around. That belongs on the list of possible reasons Big Brown didn't show up.
Yeah, the list is nearly infinite. Why would you blame the jockey who likely literally put over $1M in your pocket the past month?
Dutrow seemed like a real asshole even in the NBC feature on him before the race. Normally they make everyone look really good in those things.
YOUR ARTICLE IS AWSOME!!!!! RICK DUTROW IS THE ONE TO BLAME!! WHY ON EARTH WOULD A TRAINER TAKE THE STEROIDS AWAY FROM A HORSE LESS THAN A MONTH OUT BEFORE THE RACE? RICK DUTROW KEPT SAYING IT WAS TO SHOW EVERYONE THE HORSE DIDN'T NEED THEM TO WIN. WHAT TYPE OF TRAINER WOULD TAKE A HORSE THAT WAS TRYING FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN AND REMOVE IT FROM A SUSBTANCE IT HAD BEEN USING NONSTOP. REMOVING THE STEROIDS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE DECIDING FACTORS. IT COULD HAVE CHANGED THE STRENGTH, ENDURANCE AND SPEED WITH WHICH THE HORSE PERFORMED. IF EVERYONE THINKS {& THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING FOR RICK DUTROW TO TRY AND ACHIEVE} THE ENTIRE DAY OF JUNE 07TH, 2008 WASN'T YOUR NORMAL DAY FOR BIG BROWN FROM THE START. BIG BROWN WAS UPSET MOVING FROM ONE BARN TO ANOTHER, THE HORSE WAS VERY HARD FOR THEM TO GET INTO THE LOADING GATE OF POST POSITION 1 - A NORMAL PERSON CAN'T BLAME THAT ON KENT OR THE LOADERS - THE HORSE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO GO IN THE AREA. BIG BROWN HAD ALWAYS RACED FROM THE MIDDLE TO OUTSIDE OF A TRACK. 1ST TIME TO THE INSIDE LANE OF A TRACK FOR BIG BROWN, SOMETHING HE WASN'T AND ISN'T USED TO WORKING THRU. BIG BROWN CAME OUT OF THE GATE THROWING HIS HEAD, YOU CAN'T BLAME THE JOCKEY, KENT MOVED THE HORSE TO THE OUTSIDE WHERE IS HAS ALWAYS RUN THE BEST BUT; THE HORSE JUST DIDN'T HAVE WHAT IT TOOK SATURDAY. MIGHT IT JUST NOT POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN THE HORSE HAD A SORE HOOF AND DIDN'T WANT TO RUN, KENT WAS JOCKEY ENOUGH NOT TO FORCE THE HORSE AROUND THE TRACK AND POSSIBLY INJURE HIS HOOF MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL INJURY. PEOPLE NEED TO REMEMBER BIG BROWN MISSED SEVERAL DAYS OF TRAINING WHICH WASN'T A PLUS GOING INTO SUCH AN IMPORTANT RACE. THE WEATHER WASN'T THE BEST WHEN HE WAS TAKEN OUT ON THE TRACK TO PRACTICE. RICK DUTROW WAS SO INTERESTED IN WINNING HE JUST KEPT REPEATING THE HORSE IF JUST FINE READY TO WIN. DID HE TAKE & HAVE BIG BROWN CHECKED THE MORNING OF THE RACE BY A VET THE WAY THEY DID CASINO DRIVE? THE TRAINER OF CASINO DRIVE CARED ENOUGH TO GO THE EXTRA STEP FOR CASINO DRIVE. RICK DUTROW HAS ONE PERSON AND ONE PERSON ONLY TO BLAME ON THE RACE AND THAT IS HIMSELF. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT EVEN COMPLETELY BLAME HIM BUT ONLY SAY, "A HORSE IS JUST THAT A HORSE, & BIG BROWN WASN'T READY, FIT OR ABLE TO COMPETE THIS PAST SATURDAY." WHY CAN'T EVERYONE JUST ACCEPT THE FACT AND MOVE ON WITHOUT BLAMING KENT DESORMEAUX. HOPEFULLY RICK DUTROW WOULD COME OFF MUCH MORE OF A MAN IF HE WOULD STOP TRYING TO PLACE BLAME WHEN THERE REALLY ISN'T ANYONE TO BLAME AND JUST BE THANKFUL THAT THE HORSE IS STILL ABLE TO GET PREPARED FOR FUTURE RACES AND NOT END UP LIKE BARBARO OR EIGHT BELLS. IT APPEARS RICK LACKS CLASS AND I CAN'T REALLY SEE HIM ACQUIRING TOO MUCH IN THE NEAR FUTURE BECAUSE 1ST HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAD SOME.
I think Big Brown was held back all the way around the track. What happened to his usual awesome responsiveness that the horse was known for? Stop trying to blame the trainer. You're just diverting attention.
1) If Big Brown had won, the NY Belmont track would've had to pay out BILLIONS just in win tickets!
2) There hasn't been a triple crown winner in over 30 years, yet there has been several mighty fine contenders. Big Brown should've left the field in the dust.
3) Stocks fall every time there is a triple crown winner.
4) In this country, we have lost many freedoms to cater to big businesses, whether people will recognize this or not, it's the truth. Just look at all the gas price gouging and destruction of fuel efficient cars and inventions, and how alternative healing modalities are prevented from the public (even at gunpoint!), and how employers are allowed to spy inside any employee's home, just to name a few. I thought race throwing was abolished years ago, but after carefully watching Big Brown run those races, it's obvious something has to be done to preserve the Triple Crown.
You can draw your own conclusions, but PLEASE don't blame the little guys - the trainer, jockey (I'm guessing he most likely was seriously threatened), or even the horse. It should be obvious to anyone who thinks independantly that they are only the scapegoats. And that kind of attitude is what will only allow the throwing of the triple crown to continue forever. I think we should start by taking a serious look at who's running the Belmont track.
In addtion to everything Judy et al mentioned, The Blood-Horse has photos showing that Big Brown got stepped on by Guadalcanal just out of the starting gate, which twisted his right hind shoe & almost pulled it off - it looks very awkward & uncomfortable. Also, it was an extremely hot & humid day, and Big Brown was running on Lasix, so dehydration could well have been a factor. For Dutrow to blame Desormeaux just demonstrates that the horse has more class than he does - the horse kept trying to run even when Desormeaux was trying to pull him up.
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