There are no less than four Saturday Derby preps on tap, and each day this week I will preview one, starting with the Louisiana Derby.

I liked Patena in the Lecomte, and he ran on nicely to land the place in his initial try over conventional dirt. My Derby future (pool 1) play was subsequently purchased by IEAH and is now trained by Rick Dutrow, the same connections that brought us Big Brown last year. Well bred $250k Keeneland sales grad drilled a bullet at the Gulf on March 9th and figures to fire a big shot off the layoff under …read more

Eclipse Awards
Curlin repeated as Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Award ceremonies. The recently retired all-time North American money earner stands at Lane’s End Farm with a $75k stud fee. Undefeated miss Zenyatta took home Older Female honors.

Big Brown was unanimously voted 3yo Champion, and Proud Spell took down 3yo filly honors over her late stablemate Eight Belles.
As expected, Midshipman is the Juvenile Champ, and Stardom Bound nabbed Juvenile Filly honors.
The other equine Eclipse Awards went to Conduit (Turf Male), Forever Together (Turf Female), Benny the Bull (Male Sprinter), Indian Blessing (Female Sprinter), and Good Night …read more

The Eclipse awards ceremony will be held in January 2009 (Miami), and the race for Horse of the Year should be a tight contest between reigning champ Curlin and the undefeated Zenyatta.
Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown has his fans, but his Horse of the Year hopes went up in flames with his Belmont Stakes debacle.
Curlin, a daunting physical specimen, had a fantastic four-year-old campaign with five wins in seven starts, including victories in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward, Stephen Foster, and Dubai World Cup.
His two losses occurred in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over synthetic …read more

Curlin, fresh off a sharp five furlong drill over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface in between races on October 13th, has been pre-entered for a Breeders’ Cup Classic title defense on Oct. 25th. His five furlong work on Monday (pictured above) was completed in :59.11 while in company with Hawaii Calls.
Steve Asmussen also sent out Classic contender Student Council on Monday, and he drilled six furlongs in 1:12.40 under Shaun Bridgmohan.
Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown’s Classic hopes were dashed with a career ending injury to his right front heel following a turf work at Aqueduct on Oct. 13th. The …read more

Big Brown and Curlin, the two likely favs in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic, both had morning activity.
Big Brown worked six furlongs over a good Aqueduct turf course in 1:14.64 on Oc. 7th. The move was in company with stablemate Salute the Count, a possible entrant in the newly formed Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
The dogs were up, about 12 feet out, and the Richard Dutrow runner completed his final two furlongs in :23.85 while galloping out seven panels in 1:29.26. The 2008 Kentucky Derby hero is expected to have two more works before heading to Santa Anita on Oct. …read more

Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown ran his record to seven wins in eight starts with a gritty wire job over older graded foes Proudinsky and Shakis in Saturday’s grassy $500k Monmouth Stakes.
As I stated in my preview blog, I thought that Big Brown would sit the first run stalking trip behind one or two other speedsters, but he was carving out legit fractions and had enough energy to hold off the the aforementioned Grade 2 winners.
Proudinsky loomed a serious threat turning for home and looked as if he would go by Big Brown in midstretch, but the classy …read more

Big Brown is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the $500k Monmouth Stakes (race 9), a nine furlong grass event for three-year-olds and up to be run on Saturday (9-13-08).
Big Brown is 6-7 lifetime, with his Belmont Stakes disaster his notable blemish. He began his career with a romping turf route wire job last September, then returned in March and rolled in an originally scheduled for the turf flat mile entry level race at the Gulf.
He proceeded to take the Grade 1 Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness before his ill-fated Triple Crown attempt at Big Sandy. …read more

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown had his final work for the September 13th Monmouth Stakes, breezing five furlongs in 1:05.35 over the Aqueduct turf course on September 9th. He galloped out six panels in 1:22.58.
Big Brown has been working steadily for his return to grass racing. He kicked off his career with a romping turf victory at the Spa.
Following his failed Triple Crown bid in the infamous Belmont Stakes debacle, he came back to wear down a stubborn Coal Play in a less than stellar renewal of the Haskell (G1).
Saturday’s turf race will be his …read more

The second half of the three-year old season unofficially kicked off with the Grade 2 Dwyer at Belmont Park on July 6th, and Jimmy Jerkins trainee Mint Lane controlled proceedings throughout in a sharp 2-3/4 length tally.
The speedy son of Maria’s Mon was coming off a six-length romp in the Postponed Stakes, and he set the pace and held the place behind Casino Drive in the Grade 2 Peter Pan earlier this year. He banked $120k in the Dwyer, his 4th career tally.
In other three-year-old news, Big Brown recorded his second workout since his Belmont Stakes adventure, breezing …read more

The Big Brown connections are beginning to map out a plan to get the Derby-Preakness winner to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita (October 25th), and his post Triple Crown season is expected to start in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park on August 3rd.
Originally, Big Brown was expected to try for Grade 1 Travers (August 23rd) glory at the Spa this summer, but following his Belmont day meltdown, cooler heads have prevailed.
The thinking is that the heat and humidity will be less of a factor at the Jersey Shore resort track, and the speed conducive …read more