Full of Run

When Curlin finished a game second to Red Rocks in the Man O’ War Stakes (G1), it rasied more questions than it answered. Had Curlin run the field off their feet or finished up the track himself, the next steps would be crystal clear. A big win would have sent him to France for the Arc, and a big loss would have sent him back to the dirt where he is clearly the best horse in the world. But, what do you do with second? Granted, it was a game second and he ran it in race horse time, but still….

So, now we have Big Brown winning the Haskell Invitational (G1). According to Big Brown’s connections prior to the race, a big loss would immediately send him to the breeding shed. For him to lose big again, something would have to be wrong. Something unknown perhaps, but something. If Big Brown would have “run his race” as part owner Michale Ivarone said, he would continue on as if the Belmont loss never happened. The Haskell was supposed to answer any questions (one way or the other) about Big Brown.

As we now know, Big Brown won the Haskell. It’s just that he won it in a way we have never seen him win before. He appeared beaten at the top of the stretch, rallied, and caught front running Coal Play 75 yards from the finish. In all of his previous victories, he had simply run the fields into submission. Once they were battered and defeated, he strode powerfully across the finish line. This time, he worked and he worked and he worked. In fact, it looked to me like he not only rallied, but re-broke approaching the eighth pole (it may be a matter of semantics to discern the two, I’ll grant that).

My first reaction was “Oh my, what if Desormeaux had persevered with him in the Belmont? Could he have possibly won?” Looking back, I don’t think so. Big Brown was a beaten horse in the Belmont, plain and simple. My second reaction was “That wasn’t visually stunning, but I’ll bet it was a good number.” On that reaction, I was correct. Big Brown earned a 106 Beyer for his efforts, the same figure he received in his Florida Derby masterpiece. But, the race didn’t really clear up this horse. Or did it?

I think it did. A Lot. Big Brown ran down a loose front runner who was turning in the performance of his life, and he did it all on class. For a horse that was pulled up in the Belmont, he had every excuse to be off the top of his game, and he probably was. But, he won anyway. He won with guts, determination and heart. No one can doubt this horse’s ability to run fast. We’ve seen that. Now we’ve seen that he’s got heart as well.

So, no, Big Brown’s Haskell was NOT Curlin’s Man O’ War. While tomorrow (TUES) we will learn where we might see Curlin next, the road for Big Brown is clear: Find one more solid prep and head west for the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

I think for his connections to choose any other route would be as puzzling as Curlin’s Man O’ War.