Just because I am trying to defend Big Brown's record in 2008 and argue against some of the challenges against I feel I don't understand, I in know way think he is the best ever. Until i see him lose a race, I see no reason to not support his accomplishments this year.

I appreciate the book suggestion.

Woody was very high on Swale - if I recall, it really broke him up to lose him. Earlier in his career, he was in the long shadow of Devil's Bag and he never really overcame his inconsistency (from what I can tell - I only remember his death, not his races). Of course, maturity might have taken care of that. It was a devastating blow to Claiborne.

yeah, he was high on him. swale was very inconsistent, seemed every time he ran a good race, he'd follow it with a bit of a clunker. but he actually only finished off the board one time, in the preakness. but when he was on, he was on. and of course claiborne was very upset about losing him, he was the farms first ever derby winner. he's buried there in the same cemetary with secretariat and nasrullah.

I'm confused.....you didn't know there were three TC winners in the 1970s?

I guess you slept through June 7th.

Another Derby-Belmont winner was Chateaugay in '70. Not sure what he did in the Preakness.

Tabasco Cat and Point Given also won the Preakness and Belmont.

i wonder if he knows how many there were in the 60's and 80's?

he was second.

Wasn't certain, but could have looked it up. Off hand I counted Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed.

I was very much awake. He was pulled up, not out ran. He still lost the race but I haven't seen him lose yet where he entered the stretch.

I'm sure you want to slay me for that comment too.

For some reason, I think Tabasco Cat is my all-time favorite horse name.

you sound like les miles when he said the bayou bengals never lost in regulation last year.

Well you even said yourself that you would have liked to see what he could have done if Kent just went through with the race and didn't ease him up.

I don't suggest undefeated, just undefeated in regulation :)

He may have been a real good 7th...

he'd have been lucky to hit the board, but he wouldn't have been a dnf. kents 'ride' that day was chickensh!t. reminded me of mike smith when he said he thought giacomom entrapped, and he did no such thing. there's not always an excuse, sometimes they just aren't where they need to be to win.

Right before the stretch he was right there just like always.

yeah he looked great on the turn...

Maybe Desormeaux had a big bet on Da Tara???

I agree. There have been two times that I've watched a race (during my brief history of following races), where I had a bad feeling about my favorite before the starting gate opened.

1. When Barbaro broke through the gate at the Preakness before the official start. Once that happened, you could just sense it wasn't the same Barbaro from two weeks prior. Not to go off topic but it does prompt another question. Has there been any discussion that Barbaro's false start could have led to breaking down? I'm guessing this is a rare occurance?

2. Obviously less tragic, but when Big Brown was coming out from the stable and through the crowd, both Kent D, and Michelle Nivens were putting their finger up to their mouth in hopes the crowd would not be noisy to further rattle Big Brown. His head was was all over the place.

A trend?

Sorry I didn't understand what you were asking from my post?