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BIG BROWN--INTERVIEW WITH MIKE IAVARONE
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Mike Iavarone, majority owner of Grade I winner Big Brown who was retired yesterday, made a speech at the NTRA teleconference October 13.

Big Brown had tore half of his foot off after a morning workout with stablemate Kip Deville. The anticipated match between Curlin and Big Brown will now not take place.

"Today was a tough day. The dream with this horse has always been to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and it kills me to see it get this close and not happen," said Iavarone. "We put everything into this race, and this is a tremendous blow to the gut. My heart goes out to all the partners and to Thoroughbred racing fans. He was a one-in-a-million horse.

"There are going to be more Big Browns that come down the road and it’s up to all of us – the owners and the media – that when you do get a horse like this to continue to advertise and market him. Horses like Big Brown and Curlin are great for racing and this is the unfortunate part of the game; we all have to live it and experience it. This is the first time we’ve experienced something as devastating as this. As long as we can market and publicize these kinds of horses the game is going to be OK. You can see how this horse has crossed over into the mainstream media. It’s a headline story on ESPN.

"I brought my wife and my kids out, along with (minority owner) Paul Pompa and a few of my friends. Everything seemed to go according to plan and we were all excited. Last night, my wife and I were up late and we were watching the replay of the Kentucky Derby, and all the lead-up to it, and it kind of brought a tear to my eye. I turned to my wife and said, 'Well, it’s not over yet. We still have one more big one (meaning the Breeders' Cup).'"

Iavarone continued. "Rick got more out of this horse in my eyes than any trainer in the world would have. I don't think we've ever gotten to the bottom of Big Brown. What we were starting to see was his change over from his utter brilliance to his heart. Because of the issues we faced with him, his training was somewhat inconsistent, so he never had the ultimate conditioning that he had leading up to the Kentucky Derby. But his heart became as big as his physical abilities, and if we could have gotten to the point where he could have put the two together I think we would have seen something breathtaking.

"But it's always been about the horse and his life after racing. Now is the time for us to reflect on all he's done for us, and not to feel sorry for ourselves and wonder what could have been."

Iavarone said that Big Brown would remain at Aqueduct for a month. "As he cooled out he was becoming more and more sore, and basically was reluctant to walk. So, we expect the next few days to be pretty rough on him. First and foremost, we have to take care of him.

The main risk right now for Big Brown is risk of infection at the site of the tear. "This was a pretty significant injury in regard to the tissue, and as long as we keep close touch and prevent infection, he should go on and live a happy life. Right now, there is nothing that can be done other than the natural process of healing and prevent infection. That's the one variable that can be a problem. As long as we can prevent that he'll heal. We have to clean out the area real good and give him as much antibiotics as possible."

Iavarone also stated that he would love to keep Big Brown in training, and to keep racing him, but he had to keep up with his agreement to Three Chimneys.

"The banter that had gone between us was almost like professional wrestling. Rick and I were having fun with it," says Iavarone. "We have no problems at all with Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen, and we think the world of their horse and their people. We were just creating some excitement and some anticipation for the race. Curlin is a special horse and I hope he makes it to the race. It'll still bring tremendous intrigue. For me personally, I'm devastated. This match-up was everything an owner dreams of, and words cannot describe what it like to know it's not going to happen.

"Curlin is great for the sport and if they want to give me a Curlin hat I'll wear it. Curlin and Big Brown have carried the sport in the media, and we need Curlin to go out in the right way, especially with the Euros coming in. He's representing America and I'm completely in Curlin's corner and in the corner of Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen."

Big Brown became the first horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby from the #20 post position. With seven wins out of eight starts, he also became the first horse since Regret in 1915 to win the Kentucky Derby with only three previous starts.

Almost all the horses Big Brown beat came back and won. They were winning horses, but Big Brown was more.

Good-bye, Big Brown. ~Equine Lover