NEWS
Desormeaux blamed for Belmont loss
Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 3:16 PM
KENT DESORMEAUX
Matt Goins photo
Trainer Rick Dutrow on Tuesday reaffirmed his belief that jockey Kent Desormeaux's ride on Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday cost the Boundary colt the Triple Crown, but the trainer said he would not object to Desormeaux riding Big Brown in his next race, The Associated Press reported.
Big Brown, the dual classic winner who failed to finish in the Belmont, is slated to run in the Travers Stakes (G1) on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course and is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on October 25 at Santa Anita Park.
In the Belmont, Desormeaux eased the colt in the final quarter-mile as front-runner Da' Tara won the 1 1/2-mile classic.
"I don't want to hurt anyone, especially Kent," Dutrow told the Associated Press. "But I still don't understand what happened. I don't see the horse with a problem, so I have to direct my attention toward the ride. That's all I can come up with."
Following the race, Desormeaux said he "had no horse," but Dutrow on Tuesday was emphatic that he had found nothing wrong with Big Brown.
"Maybe next week if something starts going wrong with the horse, then I'll understand everything," Dutrow said.
