My 'Cup Runneth Over?

Ryan Roshau for HRND

A few years ago the NTRA adopted a slogan "Go Baby Go" to promote its game. After a series of Triple Crown dissapointments and injuries and subsequent retirmentes of its top stars they might want to think about adopting "Oh what might have been".

That theme rings true as 164 horses head toward Saturday's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park. One top horse, Curlin, is there while another huge one, Big Brown, is not. A foot ailment forced the retirement of the Derby and Preakness winner and the showdown for the ages that would ultimately crown Horse of the Year was not meant to be. For fans of the sport it serves as another reminder of how fragile and unpredictable this game can be.

This rivalry (even though the two had never met) seemed to have it all. The $10 million horse Curlin who had taken on all-comers, defending his Breeders Cup Classic title against the challenging Superhorse in Big Brown. The owners talked trash all summer. Curlin's connections dodged the artificial surface at first, then warmed up to the thought of it after Santa Anita's new track received rave reviews. It was the unstopable force meeting the immovable object. But then came news of the injury and oh, what might have been.

With the defection of Big Brown the Classic, and several of the other races have lost their luster. The fourteen races, like last year, will be spread out over two days and ABC and ESPN will be altering coverage of the races, a fact that may not sit well with viewers. Arguably the best race of them all, the Ladies Classic, will be run on Friday afternoon further adding to the frustration.

The Breeders' Cup has evolved through the years and many contend not necessarily for the better. In its infancy it promised seven races for $10 million. Five hours of network coverage. Simple and easy for Joe Tip Sheet to follow along. If a filly was strong on the turf she would have to take on the males in the Mile or the Turf. Often, as in the case of Pebbles and Miesque, the filly won out. It was a monumental achievement, worthy of celebration. Now there are seperate races over the green stuff for the distaffers, juveniles and sprinters. There is even a race called the Marathon run at 1 1/2 miles, a dying distance that hardly anyone specializes in these days. The old system wasn't broke but about a decade ago they fixed it nevertheless and for me the day hasn't been the same since.

So why watch? Well, if Curlin can handle the synthetic surface and repeat in the Classic he will boost his career earnings to over $13 million. He will become only the second horse in history to repeat in the Classic, joining Tiznow and he may go down as one of the all-time greats and possibly the Horse of the Decade. Zenyatta will stake her claim for Horse of the Year in the Ladies Distaff and European challengers have the potential to leave their mark on the weekend's card.

But with the artifical surface many horsemen are staying away and some of the races will suffer. The Juvenile, for example, may not set a clear table for next May's Kentucky Derby and synthetic specialists might rule the day igniting a firestorm of excuses for the dirt-lovers. Last year's 'Cup was run on a sloppy surface and with the dreary weather and the breakdown of George Washington it was a sub-par day for the sport. A recovery is needed to end this turmultuos year on a high note.

I will be watching to see how the days unfold. I'll be watching for Curlin but I can't help but think of the what-if had Big Brown not been injured. I'll listen to the commentators (on either network) pine about how this is the greatest day in racing but all along I'll be shaking my head.

For me, the Breeders' Cup is fine but it is merely filler until we get to the springtime.