Big Brown -4.5 lengths... yes/no?
RightAngle
Administrator
I've seen some others discussing this prop, what are everyone's thoughts?
Personally I say no....
Personally I say no....
Comments
hoof problems.
It is up to -144 this morning at one major sportsbook.
1-1/2 Miles -- Dirt 3yo
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Anak Nakal (30-1) was a good, solid 2yo, but failed to even match those
juvenile figures in his first two starts at three. He jumped forward to a new
top that was concealed by a wide trip in the Wood (2w4w, upper left), before
bouncing in the Derby. This colt has five weeks rest, a pedigree that screams
late development and distance, and has only developed 3 points from his 2yo
top, so he could have another forward move coming. Zito horses have run
well in the Belmont, and while this one starts out slower than several in here,
we think hes the most likely to run a new top.
Big Brown (2-5) ran very big to win the Florida Derby, and even bigger in
Louisville, that negative 4-3/4 being the best Derby figure Thoro-Graph has
ever given out, by quite a bit. His Preakness was good, but still a serious
regression, and we do not believe that he would have run that much better
even if ridden hard to the end. Big efforts take their toll, and when youre
also dealing with a horse with a history of soundness problems, the effects
are magnified. Big Browns recent foot problems can be seen as a symptom,
and the missed training doesnt help his cause. Now hell be making his
third start in five weeks, while dealing with the effects of two big efforts,
three if you count the Florida Derby. There is a reason that ten horses in a
row have lost when in this positionthe Triple Crown places a tremendous
amount of stress on a young horse in a short time frame. Big Brown is the
best horse here, but he is likely to regress further, and that would bring him
back to several other horses.
Casino Drive (7-2) will take lots of action based on his pedigree and his
only start in this country. If he runs back to that 0 hes a serious contender
herebut most 3yos bounce after running that fast, and many horses that
have run well right off the plane have bounced when wheeled back. Its also
of note that this colt worked a lot better for the Peter Pan than he has for the
Belmont. This one is a contender with question marks that outweigh his
odds.
Da Tara (30-1) didnt run that fast as a 2yo, and took until late April to
run faster. He was able to pair that effort up at Pimlico, but the cumulative
effect of those two efforts is likely to cause a bounce now, when he would
need a big jump to contend.
Denis of Cork (12-1) jumped up with a big one in his third start, after
which his connections wisely gave him extra rest. He still bounced in the
Illinois Derby, then began moving forward again in the Derby. Now hes
had five weeks rest since his last, and 11 weeks since the big effort. We
expect a big effort, maybe even a new top, which puts in this at a price.
Guadalcanal (50-1) is slow and theres no reason to expect dramatic
improvement.
Icabad Crane (20-1) wasnt that fast going into the Preakness, and while
he improved that day, the rail trip he got made that effort look better than it
was. Hes too slow to contend here, and theres no reason to expect an
explosion.
Macho Again (20-1) did a lot of developing from a relatively slow 2yo
top to a big number in winning the Derby Trial, and was able to get second
in a weak Preakness despite going back. We were originally inclined to
expect this to be a classic 0-2-X, and it still might be. But when you take out
the bad efforts over synthetic tracks the pattern looks a little different, so
well call him a borderline contender.
Readys Echo (30-1) ran well in his seasonal debut, bounced on poly, then
ran a slight new top behind Casino Drive last time. This guy is lightly raced
and has good rest into this, with a decent pattern. He should run well, for
him, but he has some lengths to make up against several of these.
Tale of Ekati (20-1) was a precocious juvenile that didnt develop at all as
the year went on, but jumped way forward to win the Wood in his second
start this year. He figured to bounce in the Derby and did, and now were at
a pivotal point in this colts career. He has had five weeks rest and nine since
the big effort, and he should run well now, which makes him a contender.
Bottom Line Obviously either Big Brown or Casino Drive could win the
Belmont, but there are enough negatives for both that were willing to take
our shot against them. There are two possible approachesone is to bet both
Denis of Cork and Tale of Ekati. The other is to spread out in exotics using
those two, as well as Anak Nakal, Macho Again, and Readys Echo
believe in the Big Brown Those Great Horses dont come around that often.