Jackson challenges Big Brown owners
 

http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46567.htm

And Iavarone fires right back. This is probably going to end up going nowhere, but at least the two camps are recognizing that the public wants to see it.

When told of the offer, Mike Iavarone, co-president of IEAH Stables, replied, “I have a better offer. We’ll donate $250,000 to various charities if Curlin meets us in the Breeders’ Cup. These are the things we do anyway. We strongly feel that championships should be decided at the Breeders’ Cup and that in order to give both horses the proper time to prepare for each other, we believe the race we meet in should be on racing’s biggest stage. It also would allow horses from Europe an opportunity to race against us and prove who the best horse in the world is. You’re not going to prove it in a four-horse field in the Woodward. You’re going to prove it in a full field in the Breeders’ Cup. That’s where the champions have been decided almost every year.

“We have said all along that the Breeders’ Cup is the race we should all be meeting in and we’ll up their figure by five times. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Jackson would have to require our horse to run to make a charitable contribution. When you offer to make a donation to charity, it shouldn’t come from anywhere but the heart. We’ve made significant donations to various charities.
“Coming home from the Preakness at 5 oclock in the morning, we saw helicopters overhead on the Long Island Expressway, and the next morning I read a story about a Nassau County police officer, Ken Baribault, who was rear-ended by a drunk driver while he was arresting another drunk driver. He suffered serious injuries and went into a coma. The story was on the page right next to Big Brown. While we were prospering, he and his family were suffering, and I felt it was our duty as Nassau County residents to come to their aid. The idea we had was donate a percentage of the purse money in the Belmont, and we had his family come to the race. Unfortunately that didn’t work out. We then went to an event where they were promoting officer Baribault and we made a donation of $50,000 to his son for his scholarship foundation. Then we found out two weeks later that the officer had come out of his coma and was sent to a rehab center in New Jersey only 15 minutes from Monmouth Park. So we arranged for his whole family to come to the Haskell and donated a piece of the purse from the race so someone could stay with him until he can get back on his feet.


Why the need to brag about donations? That just takes away from the whole purpose of it...IMO

If two impotent guys had a cock-off this is what it would be like.

That about sums it up. Not sure if the two of them could even fit in the same with the size of their egos.

is it me or does jackson look like the "jokers" dad

IEAH take on this is easy. They want no parts of Curlin on dirt.

Jess should go to $500k to get them to run v. Curlin in Japan, on the Dirt...

They shouldn't. It wouldn't be very competitive. Curlin would beat BB handily and Divine Park might even beat both of them.

BB's feet are shot. He will win his little made for BB turf race and then get destroyed by Henrythenavigator on the synthetic. Nothing to be ashamed of, but he will still never have broken a 110 beyer on the dirt or beat a decent horse on the dirt.

Whaaaat?

IEAH already turned down the challenge, as per the DRF. Sporting.

I'll donate $500 to charity if they go best 2 out of 3 in the Woodward, Classic, and Hollywood Turf Cup.

I'll donate tree fiddy if they avoid each other like they're going to do anyway and then retire by the end of the year.

Please. Do it. STFU. Go away.

This "saga" is freaking hilarious. I hope it continues. I always need a good laugh. IMO, Curlin would pretty much hand BB his lunch if they raced on dirt. On a synthetic surface, Curlin still might beat BB but prob not as bas as he would on dirt.

Henrythenavigator is one awesome horse. I would for him to come over for the Classic.

I might be in the minority here, but I wasn't impressed with Curlin's last race. Perhaps it was the surface, but with the weight advantage he got from the competition and the way the race set up for him I certainly expected more from a horse that is widely thought of as the best in North America. I'd certainly take a shot against him in his next start.

Ya think?

I'm just saying that horses are not machines and it might be a good opportunity to try someone else at a good price if it does happen.

Maybe NTRA should pay for the transportation costs of both horses? lol

After the Haskell, Rick Dutrow said Big Brown was “way better” than Curlin? I don't follow these big horses like a lot of people do, but that comment takes the cake. Maybe on turf he is way better. If I was IAVARONE, then I'd be looking for a turf race as well. I would be looking to race on turf on Breeders Cup day, too.

He is. It is called the Classic.

Ridiculous comments like that just fuel the need for these 2 meet, whether we like it or not. It has made horseracing alot more interesting if they do meet in the BC, certainly it would be more interesting than the BC at Monmouth last year.

Please explain me what was ridiculous about my comment so I can try to do better in the future.

Sorry, I should have highlighted Ivarone's comments. It wasn't your comments I was referring to.

as if the surface would make any difference.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ill&id=3532060

Though I usually diagree with most of what he has to say this does make a good point. Namely why does a mega rich guy like Jackson "need" to retire a horse like Curlin when the money made by him at stud cant possibly make a difference in his or his families life? I suppose one could ask the same thing about a guy who started a commercial breeding operation in his mid 70's. I have no idea what his family situation is but there doesnt appear to be anyone close to the sport besides him and his wife. The funny thing is that I think the horse will be a bust at stud.

I know that if I was worth a billion dollars and had the best horse in the world you could bet he would be on display for as long as he was winning top races.

Yeah YOU might think that.
But didn't Jackson make some ridiculous statement last year about how the horse could revolutionize the breed as a stallion?
Curlin is a good racehorse, and I guess we owe Jackson some thanks for racing him this year. Still, some of his statements and actions this year regarding the horse have been....well.....a bit odd.

The whole improving the gene pool line is such a bunch of BS. Like retiring the horse after his 7yo season wouldn't still give him 13 seasons to cover 100+ mares if he turns out a success at stud.

Honestly i think the horse would have been retired if the ownership mess was resolved. He is soft on his dams side and he is very heavy. Heavy horses often produce slow horses.

I really have no opinion on how he will be as a sire (not that I am actually any good at predicting those things anyway).
Tenpins is very closely related to Curlin (by Smart Strike, out of a Deputy Minister mare) and my first thought is that 6k for him will probably be a better deal than whatever Curlin starts out at.

This whole affair is comical. After how IEAH have turned their back on NYRA's premier races since Big Brown's Belmont debacle (no Travers, Woodward or Jockey Club Gold Cup), there is no way in the world that I'd create the "little" turf prep that they want written for the middle of September. They don't deserve to get a race written for them in New York. Let them ship to Calder or some other second tier track to get their prep race.

It would be more fun to see Jackson and Ivarone square off on TVG and throw their bankrolls at each other's heads. Alternating lobs, scored for best hits 3 out of 5, three sets, a knockout automatic win.

Of course, Zito could gate-enter and probably win.

Agree that the only reason we saw him this year is the crap with the owners.

Jackson-Ieah
 

Hell guys and gals , this is what they do for pr and keeping the talk on their
horses they probably had dinner last night together, and worked this angle for pr, all of you fall for the hype, the oldest pr trick in the book.

Oh shucks buster....they plum sure had us simpletons fooled.
Thank the good lord we's a got your wisdom 'round these parts to put us back on the right path.

Why doesn't Curlin come to whatever grass race Big Brown goes to?

because they weren't that impressed with his other try on grass? because they're chasing the all time earnings record, and big time purses in his next couple starts will get him there?

i am still amused that there was no mention of returning to turf with big brown until after curlins connections said they were going on dirt from now on. that's a way to avoid him without really seeming to do so...

If it truly is from the heart JACKASS then then why do you feel the need to point it out ???? Again, so transparent...

you're real sharp, and catch on fast, duh!!!!

When you fire shots like that can you please quote the post you are commenting about.. That way the person you are insulting will want to rip your head off. ;)

If either side wanted to issue a real challenge, they'd publicly say "we'll be in Boston on 9/20 for the Mass Cap. Be there if u aren't scared." It solves all the problems. It's real dirt which the Curlin people want. It's not on the Belmont dirt which the BB people don't want. It's plenty of time to prepare since BB's last race. It's plenty of time before the BC to give time to prepare for that race. And Commentator might be there too. It's perfect.

true king...but i think curlins peeps are interested, while big browns are not. they didn't outline big browns next two races until word came out that curlin would do dirt the rest of the year, and would be skipping the bc. that way, they can try to take the high road, rather than appear that they are ducking-and they ARE ducking.
big brown hasn't run in a race yet that curlin could enter. jackson has been upfront about curlins schedule, giving ieah the info they needed should they wish to engage, which they obviously don't.

thing is, curlin won't have ? over his head due to the non match up, but big brown will. and they won't get many thinking big brown would come out ahead in a match up with curlin.