CRACK NO 'BIG' DEAL

HOOFING IT: Here's a look at the small "quarter crack" in Big Brown's left front foot — a crack his handlers insist won't be a danger in the Belmont, despite what some critics say.

June 3, 2008 -- FIVE days before the Belmont blowout, the Big Brown camp yesterday blew its stack and came out swinging against the notion that the colt's hoof problem could impact his Triple Crown date with destiny on Saturday.

Ian McKinlay, the hoof expert who has been treating Big Brown for the last 10 days for a quarter crack in his left front, finally had had enough.

"I've been reading where people are saying they think this jeopardizes him, but that is absolute nonsense," said McKinlay. "Big Brown has had just a slight, slight crack. Now he is perfect. The foot is cool. We have him exactly where we want him."

McKinlay, addressing the media shortly after Big Brown galloped around Belmont and returned for his bath, was hard put to contain his exasperation.

"I don't think it is even an issue," he said. "But the world is what it is, and they will make of it whatever they want to make of it. They won't address you, they won't ask you a question, they're just going to write what they want, and that's not right."

McKinlay plunged on, "I don't like people accusing Rick [Dutrow Jr., the trainer] and the industry of taking horses and throwing them to the wolves for money.

"Why would you take a horse like this and jeopardize his life? He's worth a lot more alive than dead. They'd have to be idiots to do something like that."

Big Brown has a history of quarter-crack problems, which restricted him to so few races that he went into the Kentucky Derby with only three starts on his resume.

"I never thought he'd pop that quarter crack last week," McKinlay conceded. "We thought we were home free. But Rick told me after today's gallop that Big Brown is moving as good as he ever has, if not better."

What McKinlay sought to do yesterday was lay to rest, for once and for all, the public perception that Big Brown's quarter crack would affect his racing performance and that the stable somehow was gambling his well-being by running him in the Belmont.

He said he would put a patch on Big Brown's foot Friday and that would be it.

Still revved up, McKinlay said, "Compared with all the quarter cracks I've seen in 30 years, Big Brown's was not very special. The horse is special and the crack is only getting a lot of attention because of the magnitude of the race.

"But I'll tell you how concerned I am. I won't even be here tomorrow when he breezes. I'll be down at Monmouth Park."

Frank Martin, the grand old master of the New York game who has won 15 training titles, offered this observation, "If they work Big Brown this week, he'll win the Belmont for sure. If they don't work him, watch out."

Well, Dutrow is going to work Big Brown over five furlongs this morning, hopefully in around one minute. That answers all the questions. They'd never do it if they had any doubts about the horse.

Dutrow himself was his usual ebullient self, bantering with the press yesterday.

"We could not be happier with the horse," he said. "His foot is a hundred percent perfect. He's ready."

The trainer reiterated his conviction that Saturday's race was a "foregone conclusion." He said, "All the questions have been answered. The Belmont might be the most difficult of the three Triple Crown races to win - but only because it's the only one left.

"We made the first two [the Derby and Preakness] look kind of easy. I can't imagine the Belmont turning out any different, but since it's the only one left, yeah, it's the toughest race we've got to face."

His final word, "I'm very, very confident he's going to win the Belmont. All Kent [Desormeaux, the jockey] and I have to do is stay out of the horse's way. Neither of us has to do anything special. Let the horse play the game. That's it."