NEW YORK // The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion Big Brown has been retired after suffering an injury during a workout, his handlers say. The top three-year-old in the US hurt his right front hoof in a six-furlong session at the Aqueduct track in New York. "Big Brown has been retired," Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH Stables, told the website www.bloodhorse.com. "Half the foot was torn off, we did everything we could to get (him) to the Breeders' Cup (on Oct 25).
"It's devastating ... and what makes it even worse is that he worked great." Big Brown had been expected to take on Horse of the Year Curlin in the US$5 million (Dh18.3m) Breeders' Cup Classic in one of the most highly anticipated races in years. Bred in Kentucky, Big Brown, who won his first five starts, ends his career with seven trips to the winner's circle in eight races. He also won $3.6 million in prize money.
*Reuters
