A Crack is a Crack....

A quarter crack is just a quarter crack or is it?

I spoke to my dad a few days ago about the quarter crack in Big Brown's hoof and he seemed to think it was a bigger deal than the trainer is letting on. In fact, he indicated that he thought it might be foolish to run the horse in the Belmont with an injury of this nature.

All of which seemed very surprising to me considering all the upbeat news that seems to be streaming out of Dutrow's barn. Even more surprising to my father was the fact that Big Brown actually trained yesterday. He thought Big Brown would have been sidelined for at least a week and that if he did train he would just gallop once or twice.

So who or what are we to believe?

Quite frankly, I am stumped and extremely torn. There is a part of me that would love to see a Triple Crown because it is just what racing needs. And then there is a part of me that is trembling. What if these connections are foolish enough to run a horse that is not 100%, thereby putting the horse as well as the entire industry at risk? What if greed gets in the way of stewardship? And what if the horse wins but never runs again?

These are situations in which you want a trainer who always puts the horse first and I am not sure that we have this in Dutrow. These are situations in which you want owners who listen to and respect the decisions of their trainer--who realize that it is foolhardy to sacrifice a horse no matter what is at stake.

Yes history is calling but so is integrity. Just imagine what would happen if Big Brown ran, got beaten by Casino Drive and never raced again? And even worse, just imagine if he broke down on an even larger stage than the Kentucky Derby?

Stay tuned. This is going to be a wild ride.