Horse Racing Betting - The 'B' Words: Big Brown and the Buzz Horse

By Greg Melikov
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Horse Racing Betting at WagerWeb Racebook

The A Team for the Belmont Stakes, according to the so-called racing experts, is comprised of Big Brown and Casino Drive. Both are undefeated in seven races.
 
Big Brown already has proved he’s the crème de la crème of the 3-year-old crop, winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown. The son of Boundary has scored two impressive victories from extremely outside posts.
 
First, the colt roared home from post 12 to take the Florida Derby by five lengths recording the third fastest time in the last dozen years for the 1 1/8 miles.
 
He was the first 3-year-old in the 57-year history of Gulfstream Park’s premier stakes contest to score with only two starts. He also was the first winner in 28 races to triumph beyond post 7.
 
Then Big Brown scorched the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field from the outside post by 4 ¾ lengths, only the second from post 20; the other was in 1929. Two weeks later, he took the Preakness by five lengths.
 
Meanwhile, the so-called buzz horse, Casino Drive, has raced just twice, once in Japan last year. He won the Peter Pan Stakes by 2 ½ lengths at Belmont on May 10, but didn’t beat much of a field.
 
The son of Mineshaft ran the fourth fastest Peter Pan since ’96, going the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47 4/5. But it was way off Oratory’s winning time of 1:46 1/5 in ’05. Only Ready’s Echo from that field go in the Belmont after running third.
 
So how do the two top contenders shape up?
 
Big Brown holds the edge on experience, winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, both at longer distances than the Peter Pan.
 
The Peter Pan always is mentioned as a prep, but the results have been less than encouraging for those entering the Belmont during the past three decades.

 

There have been only three that won both contests: Coastal, ’79, who defeated third-place finisher Spectacular Bid; Danzig Connection, ’86, victorious over third-place runner Ferdinand; and A. P. Indy, ’92, who missed the first two legs of the Triple Crown because of a badly bruised heel.
 
Actually, horses than ran in the Preakness did much better. A dozen captured the Belmont, including five that triumphed at Pimlico: Risen Star, ’88; Hanzel, ’91; Tabasco Cat, ’94; Point Given, ’01; and Afleet Alex, ’05. 
 
Casino Drive’s winning margin in two races averaged more than 8 ½ lengths. Big Brown won his five races by an average margin exceeding 7 ¾ lengths.
 
Casino Drive, foaled March 7, 2005, is a half-brother to ’06 Belmont winner Jazil and ’07 winning filly Rags to Riches. The trio’s dam is Better Than Honour.
 
Big Brown, foaled April 10, 2005, has connections to Northern Dancer – grand sire Danzig was a son of the ’64 Kentucky Derby-Preakness champ and dam Mien was a granddaughter of the Canadian bred. 
 
Big Brown and Casino Drive have one thing in common: Kent Desormeaux. The jockey has been aboard both in the winner’s circle.
 
He has ridden Big Brown in all four victories this year. Between the victories at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, Desormeaux piloted Casino Drive to his Peter Pan triumph.
 
The son of Mineshaft has a new rider, Edgar Prado. “We had many jockeys who wanted to ride him and that was encouraging to us,” Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, told BloodHorse.com.
 
“There are so many good jockeys in America, but we decided we wanted a New York-based rider. (Prado) knows pace, has the experience, having won two Belmonts, and he’s a patient rider.”
 
Prado’s victories came at the expense of two Triple Crown bids: 70-1 shot Sarava scored in ’02 as War Emblem finished off the board and 36-1 Birdstone edged Smarty Jones in ’04.
 
However, Casino Drive wouldn’t pay nearly much if he whips Big Brown since he assuredly will go off as second choice.
 
Ironically, Big Brown’s trainer employs Prado on a regular basis, The Daily Racing Form pointed out. According to Equibase statistics, he has ridden 268 of Rick Dutrow’s career winners – 22 percent.