Nostra,
Flower Alley is not a fraud, and you will note that after his last race I completely backed off of backing him as a possible HOY.
The explanation I received after his loss was pretty much confirmed yesterday.
I was told by someone who I trust that he had no injury, that he simply had lost his mental desire to put out or perform.
It happens more often than you think, most often with fillies or mares. Lady's Secret even had this occur at the end of her career, bolting on a turn in an allowance type race and refusing to run. Storm Flag Flying was another, after her incedible BC performance she had the potential to become one of the all the time greats in many people's minds(myself included). When she returned at age three they just couldnt get her to really try. She did win a grade one up here at age 4, accomplished after stalking one of the most bizzare speed duels in history and barely getting up in a last 1/4 in :27(or thereabouts).
We don't know the story with Brother Derek yet. Was he injured? Did something go awry? Or is he just another on a long list of three year olds who were mentally or physically fried(or both) because of the grueling triple crown route?
He was never my favorite horse. I always said I admired his talent but that I thought he had no shot in the Derby. I didn't jump on this thread to jump ugly on Joel just because he started it. Had anyone else started it I would have said the same thing to them. I bash trainers all the time, probably always will. But I tend to appreciate the accomplishments of animals who win a grade one race. Its so hard you just can't believe it. Lansdon told me while he was up here, that its quite conceivable(and likely) that although he is young, that he may never have another grade one winner. He said just getting to a grade one is so very hard. One of the things I like about him is his sense of honesty. he told his wife last year while standing in the winner's circle at the Champgane to enjoy this, because it won't happen again(winning two grade ones in a row with the same horse).
If the thread title had been "Brother Derek not as good as thought earlier", or Hendriks did a lousy job with the horse for this race, I would probably have agreed. But fraud is an awful harsh word for a horse who accomplished and did as much as he did this year. I defended Lawyer Ron the same way earlier this year, even though I thought he had zero shot in the Derby. You have to appreciate a horse who goes out there and does the things that he did.