LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Big Brown was pulling away from the
field, accelerating with every powerful stride toward the finish
line in the Kentucky Derby.
The crowd of 157,770 was on its feet and cheering as the big,
unbeaten, muscular bay crossed the line first, 4¾ lengths ahead of
the filly Eight Belles.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was still celebrating, along with
thousands of happy bettors, as Big Brown and the 19 other horses in
Saturday's race galloped out around the first turn at Churchill
Downs.
It took a few minutes to sink in, but anyone watching those
horses soon realized that one of them had fallen to the track.
"It's the filly," someone whispered. She went down about a
quarter mile past the finish line.
In just a few minutes, the joy of the Derby and the promise of a
new Triple Crown season were upended when Eight Belles was
euthanized by injection on the track.
She had broken both front ankles and could not be saved.
"This horse showed you his heart," winning jockey Kent
Desormeaux said, "and Eight Belles showed you her life for our
enjoyment today. I'm deeply sympathetic to that team for their
loss."
Big Brown did everything his owner said he would do. An
explosive finishing kick put away his rivals for his fourth
consecutive victory.
Eight Belles, meantime, was attempting to become the fourth
filly to win the Derby. Her owners chose to keep her out of
Friday's Kentucky Oaks so she could run with the boys in the Derby.
And run she did.
Big Brown's start from the outside post did little to hamper his
charge when the field turned for home. Under the urging of
Desormeaux, the 2-1 favorite cruised to an easy victory to become
the seventh undefeated Derby winner. The last one was Barbaro in
2006.
That wasn't the only reason thoughts of Barbaro were hard to
ignore on this Derby Day.
The breakdown brought back memories of the 2006 Preakness, where
Barbaro shattered his right rear leg just after the start. The colt
was euthanized months later, after developing laminitis from the
catastrophic injuries.
In two weeks, Big Brown will race in the Preakness as the only
3-year-old with a chance to become the first Triple Crown champion
since Affirmed in 1978.
"We're ready to roll," Dutrow said.
All week, Dutrow told the world he had the best horse in the
field - and the big bay colt justified every accolade tossed his
way.
"I can't describe the feeling that all of us have right now,"
he said.
The colt became the first Derby winner since Regret in 1915 to
have raced only three times previously. He is only the third in 60
years to win after racing in just two Derby preps - Sunny's Halo in
1983 and Street Sense last year were the others.
In addition, Big Brown became the second winner to start from
the No. 20 post. The gelding Clyde Van Dusen did it in 1929.
Big Brown covered the 1¼ miles in 2:01.82 in front of the
second-largest crowd in Derby history. He paid $6.80, $5 and $4.80.
Eight Belles paid $10.60 and $6.40, and Denis of Cork, at odds
of 27-1, returned $11.60.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby's on-call veterinarian, said the
filly's injuries were too severe to even attempt to move her off
the track.
"She didn't have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and
hauled off in the ambulance, so she was euthanized," Bramlage
said.
Trainer Larry Jones paid tribute to his fallen filly saying,
"She ran the race of her life."
And he defended having her run against 19 colts in the Derby.
"It wasn't that. It wasn't the distance. It wasn't a big
bumping match for her. She never got touched," he said. "She
passed all those questions ... with flying colors. The race was
over, all we had to do was pull up, come back and be happy. It just
didn't happen."
Tale of Ekati was fourth, followed by Recapturetheglory, Colonel
John, Anak Nakal, Pyro, Cowboy Cal, Z Fortune, Smooth Air,
Visionaire, Court Vision, Z Humor, Cool Coal Man, Bob Black Jack,
Gayego, Big Truck, Adriano and Monba.
The colt earned $1,451,800 for the win and boosted his earnings
to $2,114,500 for owners IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. Pompa, who
named Big Brown in honor of United Parcel Service, a client of his
trucking business, sold a 75 percent interest in the colt to IEAH
for about $3 million after his first race.
Desormeaux won the Derby for the third time, having won aboard
Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Only three other
riders have won more - Eddie Arcaro, Bill Hartack and Bill
Shoemaker.
"It was smooth sailing all the way," Desormeaux said. "The
horse was very comfortable."
Big Brown was the third favorite to win in the past five years.
Smarty Jones won in 2004 and Street Sense won last year.
All eyes were on Big Brown at the start. Dutrow called his colt
the fastest of all and he proved it when Desormeaux gunned him
close the lead on the mad dash to the first turn. Desormeaux did a
masterful job of keeping Big Brown free and clear of any traffic
issues.
As the field headed into the backstretch, Big Brown was in sixth
place and waiting for Desormeaux's signal to make his move. It came
around the far turn, and Big Brown took the lead at the top of the
stretch and was never challenged to the wire.
"I don't even know what we just did," Dutrow said. "I can't
express my feelings, only that it was one of the most incredible
feelings I ever had, and I can't wait to feel it again."