Big Brown's Trainer Has a Really Big Mouth

The latest news coming out of Big Brown's stable smells a lot like dirty trash talk to me...

"Curlin couldn't win the Derby, we could," said Big Brown's trainer Rick Dutrow. "Curlin couldn't win the Haskell. We could. Curlin got beat by a filly. We haven't. Our horse is undefeated on grass. Curlin isn't. I don't know why people think Curlin is such a good horse. We're way better than Curlin."

If I owned Big Brown I'd have a little heart-to-heart with my trainer, Rick Dutrow. It seems the outspoken Maryland native has talked himself into a corner with the first punch coming from none other than Curlin's owner Jesse Jackson.

"I think it's bad for racing to have trash talk," Jackson said. "To run down another guy's horse, I don't think it's right. It demeans the industry. I'd like to meet Big Brown, preferably on the dirt, which is each one's best surface, but I think they're considering retiring Big Brown before we have a chance to meet him."

It would be one thing if Jackson didn't play into Dutrow's hand by keeping quiet. But here's what Jackson said about his beloved 2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin:

"I don't know that there is any horse his equal right now and I loved to match Big Brown," Jackson said. "I never thought he (Big Brown) was as good but I've always wanted (to) ... who finds out? At the wire you find out. That's when you know what you have."

The only way for this fight to be decided is by pitting the two horses against each other. Will Curlin race Big Brown in the 2008 Breeders' Cup? Bet on it!