The Big Beast returns in allowance
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Back when The Big Beast was a foal, his mother must have told him to eat his clover so he’d grow up big and strong. The Big Beast listened. He’s a hulking hunk o’ horseflesh, and he’s set to be unleashed Sunday at Oaklawn Park.
The Big Beast, who trainer Tony Dutrow estimates stands about 17.2 hands tall and weighs around 1,200 pounds, will be launching his 4-year-old season in a three-other-than allowance over six furlongs. He enters the race off a win in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga.
“It’s great to have him back to the races,” said Dutrow, who trains The Big Beast for Arkansas residents Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.
The Big Beast is part of a nine-horse field for Sunday’s race, which goes as the eighth on a nine-race program. Others set to start include the stakes winners Hogy, Alsvid, Brewing, and Texas Air. The race figures to produce starters for upcoming stakes, and The Big Beast is a potential candidate for the Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn on April 9, said Dutrow.
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Key contenders
The Big Beast (Last 3 Beyers: 96-102-87)
* He reached the pinnacle Aug. 23, when he rallied from off the pace to win the King’s Bishop, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds. It was his third straight win, following a maiden special weight at Belmont Park and a first-level allowance at Saratoga.
“I was very impressed with his King’s Bishop,” Dutrow said. “A very slow pace was set, uncontested, and The Big Beast had a lot to do at the top of the stretch, and he was still able to win. He was very impressive.”
* The Big Beast wrapped up his season in the race, and while away from the track, he had a bone chip removed from one of his ankles, according to both Alex Lieblong and Dutrow. He’s since fired a series of bullets at Oaklawn.
“We decided collectively to give The Big Beast some time after the King’s Bishop,” Dutrow said. “It was a Grade 1. Anything worth pursuing at that point was going to have to be against older horses. The Breeders’ Cup out in California, we did not want to do that. We wanted to have the horse ready for a good 4-year-old season. We’re getting started here right at the perfect time, the first of March.”
* The Big Beast has changed some from 3 to 4, said Dutrow.
“I’ve seen him mentally mature,” he said. “He was a baby last year as a 3-year-old. He’s not a baby any longer. I haven’t seen any difference in him physically. He was a big, strong 3-year-old and is a big, strong 4-year-old. Mentally, I see a more mature horse.”
* Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount on The Big Beast from post 2.
“He’s been on the inside before, and he breaks superior,” Dutrow said. “He can go to the lead, and he can sit off the pace.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 The Big Beast. Trainer Tony Dutrow is 58-20-11-4 with a $2.58 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprints following a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Alsvid (Last 3 Beyers: 98-80-85)
* He enters off a second-place finish Feb. 7 in the $100,000 King Cotton at Oaklawn. The winner of the race, Ivan Fallunovalot, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Voodoo Storm. Trainer Federico Villafranco is 28-10-3-2 with a $4.62 ROI over the past two years going route to sprint in the first start following a claim. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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