2008 Year in Review, #12.5: Big Brown to race Belmont Stakes backwards

ELMONT, NY — In light of Big Brown’s dominance in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has ruled that the undefeated horse will have to race the upcoming Belmont Stakes running backwards.

The decision to make Big Brown run in reverse was approved by the New York Racing Association, which oversees operations at Belmont Park. Surprisingly, Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow, has no objections to making his colt run backwards.

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said. “I know he’s still going to win the race, even if he does run ass-first. They can blindfold him too, if they want. We’d still take home the Triple Crown. Can you say horse of destiny? Big Brown can – he’s like Mr. Ed, but faster.”

The NTRA made the decision at a routine planning meeting earlier in the week, and racing insiders say it was a spur-of-the-moment decision that had not been on the docket for racing officials until minutes before the meeting began. The ruling is a first for horse racing, though Olympic organizers did consider forcing Carl Lewis to run backwards for the 100 meters in the 1988 Seoul games.

A spokesman for the NTRA told SSNN that Big Brown’s consistent dominance made the organization worry that a standard race would not draw the attention they deem appropriate for a potential Triple Crown winner, not to mention scare away potential Belmont entrants that don’t want to look bad in comparison. The prevailing opinion was that making Big Brown run the race backwards will spruce up the competition and allow the other horses to have a chance.

There has been a nasty backlash, however, from the horse racing community – not, as one might expect, from racing purists who are turned off by the gimmicky nature of the ruling. Rather, it is widely thought that the sport – in light of the recent high-profile euthanasia of Barbaro and Eight Belles – needs the good publicity that would come with a Triple Crown winner.

The NTRA disputes that fact.

“If this race is run regularly, where’s the drama? What’s the point? We might as well just hand the trophy over to Big Brown and tack him onto the list after Affirmed,” said NTRA spokesman Harry Bliss. “I mean, could the first Triple Crown winner in thirty years be any more anticlimactic than that?

“We want the best drama possible –not only to accommodate racing fans, but the television network as well. And having Big Brown backpedaling around the track gives us that, in spades.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!