BIg Brown Retired After Trackwork Injury
Story By Chris Scholtz
Tuesday, 14 October 2008: The three-year-old, who won two legs of the US triple Crown this year in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, damaged his right fore foot during a workout at Aqueduct in New York.
Senior owner Michael Iavarone said the Boundary colt suffered the injury during a six-furlong work on the turf track on Monday morning in company with a stablemate.
“It looks like he grabbed a part of his foot and tore off a large chunk,” Iavarone said.
"He not only tore the bulb off his foot, but half the foot was torn off.
“It's devastating. We have no choice but to retire him, there's nothing else we can do at this point.”
Observers reported a chunk of skin about three inches in diameter was torn off the foot and a portion of the hoof was missing.
Big Brown's retirement has robbed US racing of the highly anticipated showdown between the 3YO and reigning Horse of the Year Curlin in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on October 25.
Big Brown is to retire to Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky where he will begin his sud carer in 2009.
Bred in Kentucky by Monticule from the Nureyev mare Mien, Big Brown won seven of his eight starts and $US3,614,500 prizemoney. He suffered his only loss in the third leg of the Triple Crown when he was dramatically eased out of the Belmont Stakes in June.
Ironically Big Brown career ended on the same day the Aga Khan announced he was retiring his champion European filly Zarkava.
The Arc winner is going to stud without another race (see International News).
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