Now I know this is old news considering it is Horse Racing and it happened two days ago, but I need to say a little on Saturday’s 140th running of the Belmont Stakes.
In an attempt at something rarer than a perfect game, a law abiding NFL player or an exciting NHL contest, Big Brown and jockey Kent Desormeaux came to
The stage was set: 100,000 people, national television, sunny (but obnoxiously hot) weather, and even an extremely thin field that saw the only other realistic contender get scratched on race day. All that separated Big Brown from sports immortality was 1 ½ mile.
Now I am not going to sit here and claim to be an expert on Horse Racing; hell I am not even going to say I know how to read a program at the track, however I will say I can understand the concept of a big sporting event. When it comes to something as legendary as the Triple Crown, I do understand that sometimes history will be made, but most of the time disappointment is going to prevail. That disappointment, along with the actual excitement of the event is what makes these events so epic and legendary.
Coming out of the gate, Big Brown looked good. Running along the rail he was able to maintain his inside position and pace the lead horse. At the half mile marker he was still in the front pack of three horses and it was clear he was about to make his move. I remember watching the race on the screen at the track (I was 7 rows off the rail but could not see over the sea of humanity blocking me) saying out loud: “There he goes, he’s making his move.” 100,000 people watched in suspense as I did hoping Desormeaux was making that push and getting ready to show off that famous speed of his horse.
In hindsight, Browny was not making any move. I think this was just my excitement taking over and my desire for something great to happen at an event I was at. Instead what I and the 100,000 people got was a dose of the aforementioned disappointment.
Big Brown was fading as a 38-1 horse was pulling away. I remember looking up and thinking “Where did Big Brown go?” That is because he finished as far back from the pack as he won at the Preakness, sending 100,000 of us home unsatisfied.
What I ask of you Big Brown and Kent Desormeaux was not to dominate, or even win this historical race, but instead just show up and at least make it competitive. Now I know Desormeaux pulled him up down the stretch, but that just proves my point even stronger. Going into this race, Big Brown was an overwhelming favorite, but coming out of it he was an overwhelming failure.
For daring to put your name in the same sentence as legendary sport figures, and not even showing up and being competive, Big Brown I must say to you….
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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