Memo

[richiebee]

TO:   IEAH/ THREE CHIMNEYS
ATTN: Messrs. Iavarone and Pompa
RE:   Big Brown\'s Next Engagement
FR:   Richiebee

Sirs:

Run this colt in the BC Turf Classic. This boy is obviously very talented and
very comfortable on the lawn, and I do not think he will have any problem at
12 furlongs.

If BB runs in the BC Classic, he will be a short priced proposition over a
surface he has never competed on.

If BB runs in the BC Turf Classic, he could be a square price over a surface he
relishes.

If BB wins the BC Turf Classic, he is Champion 3YO, Champion Turf Male and a
contender for Horse of the Year, rekindling memories of Secretariat\'s 3YO season
when that great colt won the three aforementioned honors, though Big Red did so
with a little more panache by completing his Triple Crown mission and setting 3
track records (Churchill 1-1/4 miles, Belmont dirt 1-1/2 miles and Belmont turf
1-1/2 miles; the first 2 records still stand and the turf record stood for 20
or so years.)

[fkach]

I don\'t know Richie.

IMO, the gap between the best European turfers and Proudinsky/Shakis is probably much larger (haven\'t seen PPs yet) than the gap between the best synthetic horses in CA and Proudinsky/Shakis. The best synthetic horses out there right now don\'t look too special to me.

If I were IEAH, the things that would worry me the most about the Classic are:

- Whether the new synthetic surface is more forgiving to speed horses at 10F than some of the others have been.

- Whether Commentator and several of the speedy horses from the Pacific Classic are going to run and make for a very lively early part of the race.

- The list of eastern based horses that seemed to be strong contenders in prior CA BCs that didn\'t do as much running as expected on the ship.

- The greater potential for top European shippers to take a shot on that surface and love it.

It\'s rare to find a horse that excels on both dirt and turf like BB, but when you find one, I have to think it\'s pretty likely he\'s going to like synthetic because turf form tends to translate fairly well. The real question is whether Curlin is going to go now that BB passed this test.

[Silver Charm]

Why not cross enter the horse in the following:

The Classic
The Turf
The Turf Mile
The Mile
The Sprint

Say you are weighing all options. You think he fits in all of those spots. Probably is the horse to beat in each spot.

This would create a huge controversy. Cause a big stir. Generate massive publicity.

Which besides being damn talented is really what this horse is all about.........

[ajkreider]

But if wins the classic, he wins graded stakes on three different surfaces in the same year.

Don\'t recall that being done before - if setting their horse apart is what they\'re after.

[richiebee]

AJ:

I don\'t think the Monmouth Stakes was graded.

[Flighted Iron]

All fans,

  BB\'s value at stud seems to come up with the questioning of\"will this race
tarnish his prospects or not\".If IEAH is sincere about changing racing for the
future they\'d sack up and race him at 4.Hell,why not 5?Careful mgmt,optimum spacing and scanning post race.The future of racing is fan excitement,not cashing
in quick.The prospect of the champion 3yr old and champion older horse hooking
is quite intriguing.Picture this:Curlin at 5,BB at 4 and then the possibility
of a exceptional crop of 3yr olds coming into the soup.When is one of these
filthy rich(hungrily looking for more $)candy asses going to step up,roll
the dice and really take a chance for HORSE RACING?

       Respectfully,
        Flighted Iron

[ajkreider]

You are correct, sir.  (I suspect \"Graded-stakes-quality\" field doesn\'t have quite the cachet as the real thing.)

[MO]

\"We\'re way better than Curlin\" - Rick Dutrow


Remember those words when BB wins the Classic.