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Big Brown Had Loose Shoe While Racing In The Belmont Stakes
Photos from The Blood-Horse Magazine showing Big Brown’s loose right hind hoof gave horse owner Michael Iavarone evidence of why Big Brown raced poorly in the Belmont Stakes last June 7 at Belmont Park.
Big Brown was the favorite to win the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes but ended up finishing dead last with jockey Kent Desormeaux easing the 3-year-old race horse Big Brown down the stretch. Big Brown was given a clean bill of health during a post-race veterinary examination.
“The picture shocked me,” co-president of IEAH Stables Michael 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.”
Michael Iavarone originally thought that the extreme heat and Belmont Park’s deep track contributed to Big Brown’s lackluster finish. Horse trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. blamed jockey Kent Desormeaux’s ride while others speculated it was the quarter crack which caused it. In the two weeks leading up to the Belmont Stakes horse race, McKinlay treated a quarter crack in Big Brown’s left front hoof.
After seeing the pictures, Big Brown’s trainer Rick Dutrow now believes it could have been an issue. “I saw the pictures and there’s no way I can rule out the possibility that it hampered the horse,” said Dutrow. “It’s extremely possible that it bothered this horse.”
Dr. Greg Bennett, the primary veterinarian for Rick Dutrow 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.”
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