We here at randomgossip.com knew the issue would come into play, and today it has. Word on the track is that Big Brown’s Triple Crown loss may have been due to the fact that his trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr., discontinued the use of anabolic steroids on the horse. Dutrow admitted after The Kentucky Derby that he injected Big Brown once a month with Winstrol, an anabolic steroid that is said to encourage a strong appetite, help put on weight, and promote healing. “I doubt if that comes up to be the answer,” Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian, said after the race. “It’s not that kind of situation where it’s going to be a stimulant for him. The anabolic steroids keeps him eating and keeps him happy and keeps him aggressive, all of which he showed all week long.” Big Brown’s last dose of Winstrol was given to him by Dutrow in April.

Big Brown’s co-owner Michael Iavarone says that his horse was examined yesterday post race and again this morning and there appears to be nothing physically wrong with him. The next step in solving this mystery is a round of blood tests and some x-rays. Iavarone was interviewed by phone by the AP this morning and said, “There’s nothing physically that’s shown up. I’m as confused as anybody. The only thing we’re resorting to right now is the track might have been too deep for him and he didn’t like it out there.” We here at randomgossip.com are wondering if the crack in his left front hoof had anything to do with it. Dutrow says it wasn’t a factor and that it was patched on Friday. Big Brown also had some shoe problems that were supposedly fixed pre-race.

Most people don’t know that Big Brown was running yesterday on the drug Lasix. Lasix is an anti-bleeding medication that can cause severe dehydration. With temperatures exceeding 95 degrees and humidity at insane levels yesterday, several horses were hosed down with water because they were sweating so much. This can’t have been good for Big Brown since Lasix likely made it even worse for him. Was this an issue?

Winstrol is legal in the three states where the Triple Crown races are ran, but a ban has been proposed by horse racing’s national regulatory authority. 10 states have adopted the ban, with 11 others considering it. Alex Waldrop, president and chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association said today, “By this time next year, steroids will be banned from horse racing competition. The Big Brown campaign only underscores the need to act to ensure the safety of the horses and to remove any suspicion concerning steroid involvement with our stars.” We knew from the time Dutrow came out and said he injected all of the horses he trained with Winstrol that this would become an issue. With the press now targeting steroids within human sports this was bound to happen with horse racing as well. No one is taking into account the positives that steroids bring to animals, only the negatives that it brings in humans. We think Dutrow should inject Big Brown today, right away, with a dose of Winstrol to promote healing since something is obviously wrong with the horse. There have been no negative effects of Winstrol documented by veterinarians, so we’re wondering why this wavered Dutrow’s usage of it. It’s not illegal, not harmful, and documented by veterinarians to actually help the animals.

We’re sure something happened, but we’ll wait for all of the details before forming our opinions.

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