What can (Big) Brown do for horse racing?

By Robert Przybylo

Published: June 7, 2008

"This is the most elusive feat in all of sports. You have to be able to run three different races in three different ways. It requires so much athletic skill. You don't just have to worry about the horse. You have to worry about the trainer and jockey. You have to find the right balance.

"This is not a foregone conclusion that Big Brown is going to win, but it would mean a lot to the horse racing industry. I'm tired of people saying the rest of the field is not that talented. You never know at this point how good the rest of the horses are going to be.

"I remember training at the Kentucky Derby with Affirmed. That's a moment I'll never forget.”

Prediction: Big Brown. "He's going to make a statement.”

"Since I've been doing this, it's the ninth time we've had a chance to get the Triple Crown winner. This would be a real shot in the arm for our business and seeing all these new and young faces is just what we need.

"This is the most legitimate title in sports. There is one way to win a horse race, but 1,000 different ways to lose. Big Brown has been so dominant. He's one of the only horses I can remember winning both races by a combined 11 lengths.

"I can't wait for today. The thought of a Triple Crown is a tremendous moment that can't be duplicated.”

Prediction: Big Brown. "Denis of Cork will give him a good run, though.”

"Something like this transcends sports. It's not just a sports story. It becomes a news story. The difficulty of attaining it and how rare it is helps make it so special.

"I grew up in the 1970s, now known as the Decade of Champions (there were three Triple Crown winners in five years in the ‘70s). I remember seeing Secretariat. That was so awe-inspiring.

"When you're young, 30 years doesn't feel like much. But it's amazing we've gone this long. All it does is make that moment when we do get one that much more sweeter.”

Prediction: Big Brown. "Unless that hoof problem is bigger than we thought, Brown is the most dominant I've seen in a while.”

"Anything that brings good publicity is great for the sport. Being around this industry for so long I can easily say this is the most competitive sport. This moment is what we live for.

"Brown is just a superior race horse. I don't even think he's tested himself yet. They've had to pull him back before. I think on Saturday, they're going to let him have some fun. He's a freak deal, every owner wishes to have a horse like this.

"He would have to fall down to lose. Even then, I think he could get back up.”

Prediction: Big Brown by three-to-four lengths. "He'll shine in his biggest moment.”

"I don't know what this would mean. I've watched the races, but I'm not that enthused about it. Everybody has abandoned the sport lately and has been focusing on the negative parts of it.

"People think jockeys just beat up horses and that we don't care about the horses. They don't see the daily races. They think it's all about the money, and these people that write about it don't have any clue about what's going on.

"I thought Smarty Jones (in 2004) was unbeatable. I want to see a Triple Crown, but I'm really kind of indifferent to it all this year.”

Prediction: Doesn't know. "He's (Brown) a good horse, but I don't like his handlers' attitudes.”

"You can't put any type of value on what would happen if Big Brown pulls it off. In this industry, we need something that is going to bring attention.

"I was in Fort Worth the other day and this guy came up to me asking about the Triple Crown. He'd never been to races but said this year was changing his opinion.

"Big Brown has a chance to be like Barack Obama, in a way. Just like Barack is reaching out to young people, Brown can do that, too. We can make lifelong racing fans with a dominant Triple Crown performance. This can open eyes and change lives. What's better than that?”

Prediction: Doesn't have one. "I want Brown to win, because I know he's the best and deserves it. But I don't like to make predictions.”

For more opinions and analysis on Big Brown's attempt at the Triple Crown, go to NewsOK.com.

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