No Foot No Horse

I'm still not buying all the upbeat news coming out of the Big Brown camp these days regarding the quarter crack. Is it hype or is it insurance in case things do not go as planned with the race or the results?

The New York Times on Wednesday reports that Ian McKinley, the foot specialist in charge of Big Brown's tender tootsies has this to say about his patient's chances for victory in the Belmont: "Big Brown could always lose, but McKinley said it would not be because his foot was bothering him."

I'm willing to wager that is not exactly what Dutrow will tell us if that scenario plays out. If Big Brown does not win the Belmont, I guarantee his foot will be to blame and then who looks rather foolish--the trainer or the hoof specialist?

It is also interesting that McKinley began his career treating standardbreds--horses known to run through all sorts of injuries on all sorts of medications. To me, this quarter crack sounds very much like a split of the fingernail held together with wire sutures and packed with fiberglass. That does not sound like something I would want to run on.

Infection remains the biggest issue and I suggest it is indeed an issue considering the fact that the horse walks, stands, sleeps and trains on dirt and hay. Short of packing his foot in a bubble, there is not much they can do to avoid dirt, so the challenge remains to keep it dry, clean and packed.

I'm not saying all is not well now. I'm just saying it remains a day to day challenge to keep that foot in one piece. There is an old adage among horsemen, "No foot. No horse."

I'm standing by it.