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THOROUGHBRED BEAT MARCH 28, 2008 by James Scully Win for fun -- BIG BROWN (Boundary) generated a buzz with his 12 3/4-length allowance win on March 5, vaulting himself into the likely favorite's role in Saturday's Florida Derby (G1). Some are comparing him to Curlin (Smart Strike), who came out of nowhere to establish himself as a top Kentucky Derby (G1) contender last year, but Big Brown reminds me of Bellamy Road. Like Big Brown, Bellamy Road raced as a juvenile but made a belated three-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park, winning an allowance race on March 12, 2005, by 15 3/4 lengths. Favored three weeks later in the Wood Memorial (G1), the talented colt rolled to a 17 1/2-length decision. Those performances made him the Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite, but Bellamy Road owned a questionable pedigree for the Derby and lacked seasoning against 19 rivals. Big Brown is following a similar path. If he wins the Florida Derby convincingly on the front end, the bandwagon will overflow. Dubai -- Saturday's six-race Thoroughbred program at Nad al Sheba is worth a staggering $21 million. The $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) is the main event, and Horse of the Year Curlin towers over 12 rivals in the about 1 1/4-mile race. I'll highlight a couple of American-based runners on the undercard. In the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1), IDIOT PROOF (Benchmark) drew post 14, but he doesn't have to deal with a turn in the six-furlong straightaway. The Cliff Sise runner got very good last fall, winning the Ancient Title S. (G1) prior to a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and his last effort, a runner-up finish in the Phoenix Gold Cup H. at Turf Paradise, was simply a tune-up for Dubai. Idiot Proof has trained forwardly since then and should offer decent value with Benny the Bull (Lucky Lionel) and Diabolical (Artax) vying for favoritism. SPRING HOUSE (Chester House) will be severely tested for class in the $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1), but I'm willing to take a flyer on the in-form gelding if the turf is firm. I have plenty of respect for Viva Pataca (Marju) in the about 1 1/2-mile affair, but he's more proven at 10 furlongs. The rest of the Sheema contestants aren't overwhelming. Spring House exits a smart 2 1/4-length score in the 1 1/2-mile San Luis Obispo H. (G2) for Julio Canani, and the six-year-old could make his presence felt from just off the pace with Garrett Gomez. New Mexico pride -- Kudos to PEPPERS PRIDE (Desert God), who improved her amazing record to 15-for-15 with a victory in Sunday's Sydney Valentini H. at Sunland Park. The Joe Allen homebred will tie the modern North American record of 16 straight wins with another victory. Peppers Pride has raced exclusively against New Mexico-bred rivals throughout her career, winning mostly in sprints, and her career-best BRIS Speed rating is a 94. The five-year-old mare registered an 80 in the Sydney Valentini. Midwest appeal -- TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) has dropped three starts over the Cushion Track at Santa Anita, finishing second and third as the heavy favorite in both the Strub S. (G2) and San Fernando S. (G2), respectively, prior to a non-threatening fourth in the Santa Anita H. (G1). Tiago captured the Goodwood (G1) and Swaps (G2) over synthetic surfaces last season, but he's not displaying the same prowess this year in Southern California. The $500,000 Oaklawn H. (G2) is an opportunity to turn things around. Tiago ran big on the dirt last year, winning the Santa Anita Derby (G1), and a change in scenery to Arkansas might do him a lot of good. The Apple Blossom (G1)--Oaklawn H. program is always a dandy. Rant -- The intelligence was wrong. Before the advent of synthetic tracks, we were promised the moon in terms of safety, i.e. a dramatic drop in fatalities. That isn't the case according to a new study, and nobody should be surprised. We've heard for a while that one type of injury on dirt tracks is being replaced by another type of injury on synthetic surfaces. We've seen the statistics where more horses broke down on the Polytrack at Del Mar than on the dirt at Saratoga last year. Kickback hasn't been eliminated, as anybody watching Saturday's Lane's End S. (G2) at Turfway Park could clearly see. Synthetic surfaces were a gold mine for distributors, with tracks spending more than $10 million for installation, and unforeseen maintenance costs became inevitable. We rushed into the entire process with no data, and the extreme differences between surfaces are dividing the sport. There were always slight differences from one dirt track to the next, but the landscape has radically shifted. We've got new layers of specialists for dirt, Polytrack, Cushion Track and Tapeta. The upcoming Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita will accentuate the changes.
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