Now Dutrow, 48, is in perhaps the most enviable position of any trainer in America. He has a barn full of outstanding horses, and one of them, Big Brown, is racing's newest star.
The compelling way the undefeated chestnut colt won Saturday's 134th Kentucky Derby strongly suggests he has what it takes to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
Big Brown's 1\-mile time of 2 minutes 1.82 seconds and his 4}-length margin of victory compare favorably with the last three Triple Crown winners. When Secretariat set the Derby and Churchill Downs record by winning in 1:592/5 in 1973, his margin of victory was 2{ lengths. Seattle Slew won by 1} lengths in 2:021/5 in 1977, and Affirmed bested Alydar by 1{ lengths in 2:011/5 the next year.
And none of those three had to overcome the disadvantage of an outside post position in a 20-horse race. Secretariat left from Post 10 against 12 opponents, Seattle Slew ran from Post 4 and had 14 and Affirmed drew Post 2 against 10.
Big Brown had been the front-runner in the first and last of his three previous starts and struck from just off the pace in his second race. This time he showed versatility by racing four-wide as far back as sixth before making his mighty move with less than a half-mile to go, seizing the lead in the stretch and drawing away.
"I just haven't seen any horse with my eyes that can beat him," Dutrow said in the days preceding the race.
After watching the race, many of the 157,770 spectators and Dutrow's fellow horsemen had come to the same conclusion.
"The winner is a monster," said David Carroll, trainer of third-place Denis of Cork, who was 8\ lengths behind.
Dutrow has demonstrated during the last three years that he can win at the highest level.
In 2005 he won America's richest race, the $4,291,560 Breeders' Cup Classic, with St. Liam. He also won that year's $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint with Silver Train.
The same day Big Brown won the $1 million Florida Derby, two of Dutrow's horses took mega-races in Dubai: Diamond Stripes captured the $1 million Godolphin Mile, and Benny the Bull won the $2 million Golden Shaheen.
Though Dutrow went into the Derby brimming with confidence, he is looking ahead to the May 17 Preakness with fingers crossed.
"I like our chances because we have the best horse, and that always helps," he said. "But Pimlico's a different game. You've got to come right back off that huge, huge race.
"I'm not one to compare Big Brown against past horses. It just wasn't a strong Derby field other than our horse."
While Dutrow was looking ahead to the Preakness, Larry Jones, trainer of Derby runner-up Eight Belles, mourned the injury that cost his filly her life. Eight Belles suddenly collapsed at the start of the backstretch after breaking both front ankles during her routine postrace gallop.
"I had no idea anything was going on," said Jones, who was coming from the stands to the track when the injury happened. "She appeared to be galloping out fine.
"If it had looked like she was in distress at any point in the race, I would have second-guessed myself for running. It wasn't anything that happened in the race. She didn't get bumped anywhere.
"It wasn't that there were 19 boys in there. It wasn't the distance - she finished the mile and a quarter well. The track (condition) in my whole-hearted opinion was not the reason for what happened. I don't know what happened and when. I just know it's going to be very depressing for several days around my barn."
Dr. Larry Bramlage, on-call veterinarian at Triple Crown races, also was at a loss to explain the cause of the injuries that dictated Eight Belles be euthanized immediately.
"Fillies race against colts on an intermittent basis," he said. "One injury is not an epidemic."
He also says he doesn't believe the injuries would have been prevented if the race had been run on a Polytrack surface.
"It's not like she was deep in the middle of the race and took a bad step," he said. "She was done with the race. I don't think the forces on her legs would be any different pulling up on an artificial surface. She could have been on the grass or dirt or anywhere."
