Big Brown to resume galloping

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:54 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Big Brown, the reigning Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, will resume galloping Saturday in preparation for the $1 million Travers Stakes, which will be held August 23 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Rich Dutrow updated Big Brown's status on Friday, nearly three weeks after the then-undefeated colt finished last in the Belmont Stakes.

Big Brown, who was bidding to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, was bothered by a slight quarter crack in his left front hoof in the weeks prior to the Belmont.

Although he was uninjured during the grueling 1 1/2-mile Belmont, Big Brown was eased up at the top of the stretch by jockey Kent Desormeaux as Da'Tara won the race in surprising fashion.

Twenty days later, Dutrow remained confident about Big Brown, claiming that he hoped to run the 3-year-old in the Haskell on August 3.

"In a perfect world, I would want to see him win the Haskell and win the Travers - in a perfect world," Dutrow said. "Especially my world, it's not perfect."

Dutrow said that Big Brown will gallop Saturday before having his shoes put back on Monday. He could potentially start breezing on Tuesday.

"He's ready," Dutrow said. "He's put his belly back on, he's as happy as he could be. Now I can train him the way we want to. Now he got his little break, jogging every day, so he's ready to roll."

Dutrow ultimately wants Big Brown to be ready for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be held at Santa Anita on October 25.

"Our horse is bred for grass, and he's shown he can run on the grass," Dutrow said. "That's supposed to translate good into Polytrack.

"So we will not duck that. If our horse is good, actually, we can't wait for him to go out there and run him in that race."