Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Big Brown continued his preparations on Thursday for the $1-million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 7 at Belmont Park, where he will attempt to become racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner and the first in 30 years.
The three-year-old Boundary colt galloped 1 1/2 miles on Thursday morning under exercise rider Michelle Nevin with a set of stainless steel wires holding a small quarter-crack together.
Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said Big Brown would breeze once before the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown—either Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday—after a patch is applied to the five-eighths inch crack on the inside of his left front hoof.
“It’s coming slowly but surely,” Dutrow said. “If we were under pressure, [hoof specialist Ian McKinlay] could patch him today but we’re not under any pressure. We’ve got time. Today’s only Thursday.”
Big Brown developed the quarter crack after galloping on May 23 and remained in his barn over the Memorial Day weekend. On Tuesday, after the crack was laced together, the colt jogged and then resumed galloping on Wednesday morning.
On a scale of one to ten, McKinlay, said the quarter crack was about a “seven or eight” in terms of being healed.
“At this, point we are playing it as safe as possible,” McKinlay said. “All I do is make sure the wires are intact. I just check it every day after it’s done.”
Meanwhile, Nobutaka Tada, managing director of Globe Equine Management Ltd. and spokesperson for owner Hidetoshi Yamamato and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, said a decision would be made on Sunday on whether or not to run Spark Candle in the Belmont Stakes.
Spark Candle, a $1.5-million purchase at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale, pressed pacesetter Mint Lane in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) at Belmont on May 10 through fractions of :23.08, :46.31, and 1:10.47, setting up stablemate Casino Drive for his impressive victory in only his second career start.
Tada said that there is some concern over a lack of pace among the expected Belmont Stakes participants, and that the only reason to run Spark Candle would be as a “rabbit” for Casino Drive.
Casino Drive is unbeaten in two career starts. He is a half brother to 2007 Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches and a half-brother to '06 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil. All three are out of the Deputy Minister mare, Better Than Honour.