BALTIMORE — Big Brown had an acclimating gallop over the Pimlico racing strip Thursday morning.
Making his first appearance on the track where the Preakness Stakes will be run Saturday, the Kentucky Derby winner seemed right at home. He went a leisurely 1 1/2 miles with regular exercise rider Michelle Nevin aboard.
“He went good,” trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said. “I was very happy with his gallop. He was comfortable, cool, relaxed. We’re as happy as we can be right now.”
Big Brown is the 1-2 favorite from post No. 7 for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
“The horse is good, so he leads me where I go, so I’m as cool as I can be,” Dutrow said. “There is no way of telling how he’ll like it, but he was happy out there. I’m not going to complain if he gets beat because of the track.”
Eight Belles’ autopsy reviewed
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Eight Belles had no diseases or pre-existing bone abnormalities that caused the filly to break down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby.
Autopsy results confirm compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints. They also describe lacerated skin on both legs, an absence of joint fluid in the damaged areas and congested lungs. The filly also experienced a bruised head and hemorrhaging in the left thyroid gland, which the report blamed on her fall after the initial injuries.
“No pathology was found to indicate the occurrence of any other catastrophic event beside the fractured legs,” wrote Kentucky chief veterinarian Lafe Nichols.
Eight Belles was euthanized on the track at Churchill Downs after collapsing while jogging about a quarter-mile past the finish line. Stewards found no evidence she was injured during the race.
There also will be routine postrace drug testing and further medication tests requested by Eight Belles’ trainer, Larry Jones.
The Associated Press
