Loose shoe may have hindered Big Brown

Jun 24, 2008 - 6:12 AM MELVILLE, New York (Ticker) -- Forget the cracked hoof, it must have been the shoe.

According to a report in Newsday, the owner for Big Brown said a loose shoe might be the reason for the colt's miserable performance in the Belmont Stakes.

Michael Iavarone, the co-president of IEAH Stables, told the newspaper he was e-mailed photos Saturday night that showed a slightly dislodged shoe on Big Brown's right hind hoof.

Big Brown, who was an overwhelming favorite to win the 1 1/2-mile Belmont and complete the first Triple Crown in 30 years, ran dead last in the race, with jockey Kent Desormeaux easing the horse up down the stretch after he was hopelessly out of the race.

The picture shocked me," Iavarone said. "When the shoe spread, a nail could have been pinching him. Or he could have been stepping on a hot nail, which would have been worse. I'm guessing the nail went back in but not in the same spot. Or it could have been a loose shoe, which would be like trying to run with a wobbly cleat."

The day after the race, Iavarone said Big Brown appeared to be fine physically, dousing speculation that his wretched performance was the result of racing with a slight quarter crack to his left front hoof. Big Brown was given a clean bill of health during a post-race veterinary examination.

Now, the two photographs, which appeared in The Blood-Horse magazine and were taken of Big Brown approximately 200 yards into the race, may explain the lackluster effort.

"Any of those things would be significant for a horse running a mile and a half. The (deep) track was my original explanation," Iavarone said. "But now I'm thinking the shoe was dislodged during the race and incorrectly reset while he was running."

Dr. Greg Bennett, the primary veterinarian for Rick Dutrow, Big Brown's trainer, said the loose shoe could have hindered him, even though there was no punctures or blood in the right hind hoof following the race.

"When a shoe comes off, it does throw a horse out of balance, but it depends how traumatically it happens and at what stage of the race," Bennett told Newsday. "A couple nails can loosen up, which can cause a lot of problems and affect a horse's performance.

"I'm not sure how much of an issue it was with Big Brown. Sometimes horses feel it after the race and are sore, but I'm not aware of that with Big Brown."

Big Brown will get a chance to show the Belmont was an aberration in his next race - the $1 million Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on August 3.