Wow, the trip handicappers have come out of the woodwork to criticize and/or support the ride Kent Desormeaux endured aboard Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes.

First things first… what happened during the first quarter mile in now way was the reason Big Brown raced his final half-mile the way he did.

However, the journey into the first turn did not help matters, either. Many believe Desormeaux was at fault for taking Big Brown abruptly to the outside. At that stage, the damage had already been done.

Mistake #1 — Should have held position into the first turn as opposed to letting Da’ Tara assume command and putting yourself in a position where you absolutely need to shift out. I am not buying this option was taken away with a slow brake. That incident was minor at best and not nearly enough to force you to alter strategy.

However, once this choice was made, Eibar Coa aboard Tale of Ekati did a masterful job of forcing Kent to make decisions into the turn. He got over just in time to pin Big Brown in, although I think Kent may have been more uncomfortable along the fence than Big Brown was.

Desormeaux was a shade too eager to get Big Brown out in the clear, and in doing so, totally grabbed a hold and yanked him out behind Tale of Ekati.

Big Brown has plenty of speed to prevent him from getting in situations like this, but Kent failed to take advantage of this.

That said, the shocking scene of horses flying by Big Brown rounding the turn were not a result of these actions one mile earlier.

As the horses loaded the starting gate on the first Saturday of May, there was little doubt as to the substantial ability of the undefeated Big Brown. What was not entirely known at the time is just how superior he was to the rest of this 3-year-old crop.

Now, as the horses load into the starting gate on this first Saturday of June, Big Brown, having won the first two legs of the Triple Crown by a combined 10 lengths, has made this perfectly – almost embarrassingly — clear.

Yet despite being a prohibitive 2-5 morning line favorite to win the Belmont Stakes (more…)

There is little doubt that Kent Desormeaux will attempt to get Big Brown outside of horses as quickly as possible in the Belmont Stakes — exactly where the fascinating aspect of the long run to the first turn unfolds.

Only three horses in the field of 10 possess any early gas at all — Big Brown, logical pace-setter Da’ Tara, and Casino Drive. In an attempt to pin Big Brown in, will Edgar Prado stay glued to Big Brown once Da’ Tara clears, or will Kent make the first move in an attempt to get away from Casino Drive?

Fascinating stuff. Either way, given the long run and the way horses tend to hold their lanes into the turn, I see little reason Kent will be unable to get Big Brown off the fence early with little consequence — especially with the small pack that should be forwardly placed.