Breeders' Cup

This year's Breeders' Cup Classic may be a bust. Big Brown, this year's winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, has injured his foot and will be retired:

Trainer Rick Dutrow said the 3-year-old colt, who was preparing for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25, appeared to kick himself while working on the turf course at Aqueduct with stablemate Kip Deville. Big Brown was able to complete the six-furlong work when Dutrow noticed blood coming out of the foot.

"It looks like he grabbed himself in a bad spot," Dutrow said.

The race, anticipated to be with champion Curlin, was to be Big Brown's last before retiring to stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

It was a pretty bad injury:

"Big Brown has been retired," said Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH Stables. "He not only tore the bulb off his foot, but half the foot was torn off. We did everything we could to get to the Breeders' Cup. It's devastating. And what makes it even worse is that he worked great."

The handlers had no other choice but to retire him.

After Big Brown's disastrous Belmont Stakes finish, if you can call it a finish, he won the Monmouth Stakes and the Haskell Invitational. He had seven wins in eight starts.