Another Take on the Derby (long)

[Pedigree Ann]

HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS
MAY 10, 2008

by Dick Powell

FULL:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/edito...e.cgi?id=11478

I thought by the time I wrote this column I would have calmed down some regarding Saturday's events. But, alas, more steam than ever is coming from out of my ears.

BIG BROWN (Boundary) won the Kentucky Derby (G1) in a dominant performance and that should be what we are all talking about. Instead, he goes to the back burner. The tragic breakdown of runner-up Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song) is not only the headline in the racing industry but fodder for the talking heads on the all-news cable television stations.

Eight Belles did not have to break down, but all the ingredients for a recipe for disaster that we have seen far too many times were present and it was no surprise. Here's why and a little history lesson for those of you not old enough to have been around.