[slotdirt]

Just FWIW, note Billy Turner's comments on page two of this article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...9s.html?page=1

But at least one trainer believes the public was short-changed in this Belmont.

Billy Turner is the last living trainer of a Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew in 1977. Early last week, Turner called Big Brown "a really good horse" who had "the best chance of winning the Triple Crown" since Spectacular Bid came up short in the '79 Belmont. "When the horse has the ability Big Brown does, his talent will make sure he gets the mile and a half."

It turns out that Big Brown covered less than a mile at full speed and Turner isn't satisfied with the various non-explanations. He's throwing his darts at the jockey.

"If the horse bobbled, fine, pull him up," Turner said. "But there was no bobble, no misstep. It was a disaster, the ride was a disaster from the start."

It occurred to one writer that Turner might have been describing the night Roberto Duran called out "no mas" and abandoned his fight against Ray Leonard, who was beating him badly. "A good analogy," the trainer said. "That's exactly what happened." The jockey "was going to be embarrassed, so he decided to pull the horse up. The ride was a disaster, a disaster from the start. In the '60s, '70s, '80s, the stewards would have told (Desormeaux) to leave New York and not come back."