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News  |  Magnolia Tribune  • 
June 9, 2008

Dutrow a no-show day after Belmont disappointment

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/8218400/Dutrow-a-no-show-day-after-Belmont-disappointment NEW YORK (AP) - The morning after the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown stopped to pose for photographers as if he had won the Triple Crown. Everyone except the horse knew otherwise. Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was a no-show, leaving questions and few answers about what happened to Big Brown in Saturday's 1 1/2-mile Belmont. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was eased up by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the stretch, ending up last, beaten by eight other horses. The bay colt faced the cameras alone Sunday, except for exercise rider Michelle Nevin - and she wasn't talking. Outwardly, Big Brown appeared no worse for wear. He got his morning bath outside Barn 2, playfully nipping at a leather lead held by Nevin. Then she led him in circles around the inside of the barn, with Big Brown walking perfectly on his patched left front hoof. Co-owner Michael Iavarone said Big Brown had a thorough examination after the race and again Sunday morning. "There's nothing physically that's shown up," he said, speaking by cell phone from his daughter's soccer game on Long Island. "I'm as confused as anybody. The only thing we're resorting to right now is the track might have been too deep for him and he didn't like it out there." Iavarone said Big Brown's problem feet, other than a loose left hind shoe, were not an issue. "We're perplexed," he said. "Nobody can figure this one out." Without any obvious answers, it might take blood work and diagnostic testing, including X-rays, to figure out Big Brown's poor performance. Dutrow was criticized after acknowledging he used an anabolic steroid on Big Brown, then said last week that the horse hadn't had a dose of Winstrol since April. It's known to increase appetite and promote weight gain and healing. The drug is legal in the three states where the Triple Crown races are run. "I doubt if that comes up to be the answer," Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian, said after the race. "It's not that kind of situation where it's going to be a stimulant for him. The anabolic steroids keeps him eating and keeps him happy and keeps him aggressive, all of which he showed all week long." Horse racing's national regulatory authority has proposed a steroid ban, and so far 10 states have adopted it. It's under consideration in 11 others. foxsports.net 6/8/08
Culture  |  Magnolia Tribune  • 
June 8, 2008

Cohen thanks mentor Polk but adds veiled shot

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806080339 STARKVILLE — Ron Polk made waves Friday, making demands, among other things, that his name be taken off Mississippi State's home field. Just how those demands will be met in the Mississippi State administration remains to be seen. Incoming MSU athletic director Greg Byrne wouldn't comment on whether he'd fill Polk's demands Saturday afternoon, saying the attention should belong to John Cohen - who was hired Saturday to replace Polk. Polk, 64, coached his last game at MSU last month after announcing his retirement in March. He had strongly endorsed his top assistant, Tommy Raffo, to take over. Cohen didn't shy away from the Polk issue, addressing it in the opening statement at Saturday's press conference. "I want to thank Ron Polk," Cohen said. Then he paused. "I wouldn't be standing right here right now if not for Ron Polk." But Cohen appeared to take a veiled shot at Polk, a longtime antagonist of the NCAA, later on. ClarionLedger.com 6/7/08