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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt


UPS does not deliver. Hooters shows up flat. No drugs, no horse.

Dick Dutrow GUARANTEED a win on the walk out to the paddock but Da'Tara intercepted his package and delivered him a big tall cup of Shut the hell up. The last few months Dutrow has been nothing short of abrasive in his assessment of Big Brown's abilities and his equal disdain for the rest of the sport. Big Brown was clearly not himself today and he left his trainer nose deep in a big, deserving bag of shit.

ABC and ESPN were equally classless in their post race coverage, concentrating solely on the loser and giving nothing but short shrift to the winning connections.

The old adage, class matters, applies to more than just the caliber of the horse. The connections should display some as well and Dutrow/IEAH seemed to have forgotten that this sport as well as life is humbling but here and now, at the end of all things, I don't really hold Dutrow's bravado against him.

Dutrow, until today, had the best horse. A maverick, he usually steamrolled through the competition; today just wasn't his day. Most people, dealt a hand like Dutrow's, don't have the brass to walk up and place a bet. Dutrow, called in all his markers and put it all on the line. The dice roll funny for everyone. He will have other days; it's margin call today.

Most people don't like arrogance because it reminds them that they have very little to be arrogant about and the schadenfreude is pervasive. Dutrow called his shot and swung away.

He should not second guess himself or shy away from the media, neither of which I think he will do. I am reminded of a scene from James Goldman's play, The Lion in Winter, when Geoffrey scoffs at Richard while they are waiting for the axe:

Geoffrey: You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down!
Richard: When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal.

Godspeed Big Brown...may you enjoy the breeding shed.