Big Brown (foaled April 10, 2005, in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) is a Champion American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won the

2008 Kentucky Derby The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.2008 Preakness Stakes and was the 2008 Champion Three-Year-Old.

Background

Big Brown was bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American Champion sire Danzig, who was a son of

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

. Big Brown's dam was Mien, also a granddaughter of Northern Dancer through her sire, Nureyev. Big Brown was first sold for $60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2006 Fall Yearling Sale. He was then sold again at the

Keeneland Sales Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene. A division of ...

2007 April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

trucking company owner Paul Pompa, Jr. for $190,000. Pompa named the colt in honor of the

United Parcel Service United Parcel Service (UPS, stylized as ups) is an American multinational corporation, multinational package delivery, shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company ...

(UPS), popularly nicknamed Big Brown. Pompa turned him over to trainer Patrick Reynolds for race conditioning.

Racing career

2007: Two-Year-Old Season

Ridden by

Jeremy Rose Jeremy Rose (born April 1, 1979 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse jockey. He began his career as a professional rider at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware and in 2001 was his breakout year and he was voted the ...

, the colt made his two-year-old racing debut on September 3, 2007, at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

on the turf, winning by lengths. Pompa then sold an interest in Big Brown to IEAH Stables, a subsidiary of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., whose stated purpose is to create and manage an Equity Horse Fund, which operates as a hedge fund. The new partnership sent the horse to the

Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center is an American stable and training facility for Thoroughbred racehorses located near Boynton Beach, Florida, just north of the Gulfstream Park racetrack. It is owned by Stronach Group Stronach Group, doi ...

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

under the care of new trainer

Rick Dutrow Richard E. "Rick" Dutrow Jr. (born August 5, 1959, in Hagerstown, Maryland) is an American thoroughbred racehorse trainer. A winner of multiple stakes races including three victories in the Breeders' Cup, Dutrow campaigned Big Brown to his wins in ...

. Soon afterwards, quarter cracks were discovered in both of Big Brown's front feet, sidelining the colt for several months.

2008: Three-Year-Old Season

Unraced for more than six months, Big Brown debuted as a three-year-old on March 5, 2008, with a length win in an allowance race at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

. He was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey

Kent Desormeaux Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year with 598 wins in 1989. He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes t ...

. Entered in the Grade 1

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...

on March 29, Big Brown drew the outside post position in a field of twelve. Despite the unfavorable post, he was made the 3-2 favorite. Desormeaux sent the horse to the lead with fast opening fractions and was never challenged: Big Brown won by five lengths. The final time of 1:48.16 was just 0.37 seconds off the dirt track record set by

Brass Hat {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Brass Hat , image = , caption = Brass Hat in the Suffolk Downs paddock before the start of the 2007 Massachusetts Handicap , sire = Prized , grandsire = Kris S. , dam = Brassy , damsire = Dixie Brass , ...

in 2006. Such an impressive performance by a lightly raced horse led Big Brown to be called a "freakish colt". Desormeaux said. "Riding him was like bounding through a meadow. He just galloped around. When a horse sets fractions like that and still tells me that he's got more, and that the other horses can't get to him, that's something special. He's a major talent; possibly the best horse I've ridden."

Kentucky Derby

On May 3, 2008, in just his fourth race, Big Brown was the 2–1 favorite in the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the ye ...

, who was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

after breaking both front

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

s during the post-race cool-down. The last horse to win the Kentucky Derby from post position 20 was

Clyde Van Dusen Clyde Van Dusen (1886 – January 8, 1951) was an American jockey and trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses best known for winning the 1929 Kentucky Derby. Biography Following a career as a jockey, Van Dusen turned to training. Handling the ra ...

in 1929. Big Brown became the seventh horse to win the race undefeated. The time for the -mile race was 2:01.92. The official

Beyer Speed Figure The Beyer Speed Figure is a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post. First published in book form in 1 ...

for the race was 109. He became the first horse since

Regret Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision were unfavorable. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decision, in regard ...

in 1915 to win the race with three or fewer starts. In the days leading up to the Preakness, Dutrow admitted that he had Winstrol (

stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceuti ...

), an

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

, administered to his horses on the 15th of every month. However, Dutrow stated to

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

that Big Brown did not receive the May 15 shot. At the time, stanozolol was banned in 10 states but not in any of the states where the Triple Crown races were held. Dutrow also talked about the administration of a "jug", which the veterinarian described as an electrolyte solution designed to rehydrate the horse.

Preakness Stakes

On May 17, Big Brown was the 1-5 favorite in a field of twelve for the 2008 Preakness Stakes; only one of his rivals had raced in the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown broke well and settled behind the pace on the inside around the first turn. Down the backstretch, Desormeaux eased him to the outside and he ranged up beside the leaders. As they entered the stretch, Big Brown put in a burst of speed to rapidly distance himself from the field, winning by lengths over

Macho Again Macho Again (foaled 2005 in Florida) is a retired American thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was sired by the 2000 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Macho Uno, who in turn was a son of leading sire Holy Bull. He is out of the mare Go Donna ...

. He became the fourth horse to win both the Derby and the Preakness while remaining undefeated. The final time of the mile race was 1:54.80. "He just keeps on getting better and keeps on getting stronger," said Dutrow. "He is special."

Belmont Stakes

On the Friday following the Preakness, a three-inch quarter crack was discovered on the horse's left front

hoof The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rumin ...

, the same injury that he experienced in both of his front hooves the previous

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

. With Dutrow referring to the injury as "just a little hiccup" and with the crack stitched together with steel wire, Big Brown resumed jogging at Belmont the following Tuesday. For the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown wore a second set of stainless steel sutures on the inside of his hoof. Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay changed the sutures a week before the race and attached an acrylic and fiberglass adhesive patch to the hoof. Although Big Brown missed three days of training prior to the race, his gait and attitude seemed unaffected. After the crack was patched, Brown was exercised by rider Michelle Nevin. Ian McKinlay said, prior to the Belmont, that Big Brown "does not need a patch on the quarter crack on his left front hoof until the morning of the Belmont Stakes. So Dutrow will give Big Brown his final hard workout Tuesday to breeze five furlongs without it and gallop him into the race confident the colt's tender hoof is healed." Big Brown went off as the 3-10 favorite in the Belmont. He was rank in the early stages of the race and nearly ran up on the heels of eventual winner

Da' Tara Da' Tara (foaled April 26, 2005) is an American thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2008 Belmont Stakes in an upset over Big Brown. Da' Tara was a 38-1 underdog entering the post at Belmont. He is trained by Nick Zito, his jockey is Alan Garc ...

. Then Desormeaux tried to swing Big Brown to the outside during the first turn and bumped into

Tale of Ekati Tale of Ekati (foaled March 31, 2005) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse. Background The brown colt's sire is Tale of the Cat by leading sire Storm Cat. His dam, Silence Beauty (half sister to the champion mare Sky Beauty out of Maplejinksy) ...

. He was urged in mid-stretch but failed to respond, stopping as he came around the final turn. Da' Tara won the race by lengths while Big Brown was eased, becoming the first Triple Crown hopeful to fail to finish the Belmont.

pulled the horse up in the homestretch, later saying something was amiss and stating immediately after the race, "I had no horse," although no physical abnormality was ever found. Billy Turner, the trainer of

Seattle Slew Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only ...

, later stated, "If Desormeaux had pulled up a horse like that in my day, the stewards would have run you out of the state and told you to never come back." Two weeks after the Belmont, a picture revealed a dislodged shoe on Big Brown's right hind leg that could have been the cause of his poor performance. The shoe might have come loose during the race and gotten pushed back in while he was running. Sportswriter Steve Haskin would write:

The one agonizing aspect of the Belmont is the mystery surrounding Big Brown's performance. We've heard many theories, and that is what they will remain. No one will ever know for sure why a horse that personified perfection suddenly came apart at the seams. Was it the deep track, the stifling heat, getting rank early in the race, the traffic and bumping going into the first turn, acting up in the holding barn, missing four days of training, possibly being dehydrated, sweating between his legs and not much on his body, breaking awkwardly, possibly getting spooked by the starter in a blue jacket and white pants standing right on the racetrack,? It likely was a combination of occurrences that led to his shocking performance.

Later Three-Year-Old Season

Big Brown returned to racing on August 3, 2008, with a win in the $1 million

Haskell Invitational Handicap The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth P ...

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

. He took the lead out of the gate and was passed by Coal Play rounding the final turn. It looked as if Coal Play was going to pull off an upset, but Big Brown passed him in the final strides to win by lengths. He earned a

of 107 for his win. Big Brown won his next start in the Monmouth Stakes on September 13 in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic. It was his first start on grass since breaking his maiden in 2007 and his first start against older horses. Breaking quickly from post 4, Big Brown opened a sizable lead down the backstretch. The field began to catch up to him entering the far turn, and as Proudinsky edged up to him, Big Brown dug in and held on for a neck victory.

Stud career

While working out with stablemate

Kip Deville Kip Deville (May 3, 2003 – June 11, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose most important win came at age four in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Mile. He was an Eclipse Award finalist for American Champion Male Turf Horse in 2007. Backgr ...

on October 13, Big Brown sustained an injury to a hind hoof and was declared out of the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

, and retired. He was awarded the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

for 2008. Beginning in 2009, Big Brown stood at

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

Three Chimneys Farm Three Chimneys Farm is an American Thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Midway, Kentucky, established in 1972 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Clay. Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion Se ...

Midway, Kentucky Midway is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,641 at the time of the year 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town sits just off ...

. He was bred to more than 100 mares his first season, including 71 stakes mares or stakes producers. The first reported foal for Big Brown was a filly out of Impressive Attire (by

Seeking the Gold Seeking The Gold (April 7, 1985 – July 28, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire. Background and Family Seeking The Gold, a bay colt, was bred in Kentucky by Ogden Phipps, who also owned him. One of numerous t ...

) born on January 12, 2010, at Swifty Farms in Seymour, Indiana. In 2014, Andrew Cohen's Sunrise Stables and Gary Tolchin's Golden Goose Enterprises obtained a majority interest in Big Brown and announced that he would be relocated to New York for the 2015 season with a fee of $8,500. Standing at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, New York, his 2016 fee increased to $10,000. Big Brown has proved to be a moderately successful sire. His most notable offspring include

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

, who won the 2015 Santa Anita Derby and finished third in the Kentucky Derby, behind Triple Crown winner

American Pharoah American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ho ...

, and Somelikeithotbrown, who won the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap in 2020 and the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes in 2021.

Race Record

Pedigree

* Big Brown is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3s × 3d to the stallion

, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree. Big Brown is also inbred 3s × 4d to

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, meaning he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree

References

External links

Big Brown's pedigree and racing stats

2008 Kentucky Derby video

2008 Preakness video

2008 Belmont video, June 7
{{Preakness Stakes Winners 2005 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Derby winners Preakness Stakes winners American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 5-h