Bodog Beat

Big Brown's owners decided on grass as a transition from dirt to the synthetic surface at Santa Anita Park where the Breeders' Cup will be held this year. (AP Images)

According to Michael Iavarone Co-President/CEO of IEAH Stables, Big Brown will have his prep for the Breeders' Cup on turf. He is scheduled to start on turf at Monmouth Park on September 13.

The race at Monmouth is the newly created Monmouth Stakes, which will be for 3 year olds and up. The 1 1/8 mile race will have it purse raised from $200,000 to $500,000 if Big Brown does compete.

There were other options considered by the owners and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.,which included a stakes race at Philadelphia Park where the purse would have raised to $1 million if Big Brown was in the field. Iavarone said that one of the deciding factors was the condition of Monmouth Park grass course.

In 2007 NetJets Breeder’s Cup Mile (gr. IT) was won by Kip Deville who is raced by IEAH and partners. This race was run over a grass course saturated by rain at Monmouth Park."The money [to lure Big Brown] was secondary," Iavarone said. "That turf course had taken five or six inches of rain before Kip Deville's Breeders' Cup and yet it was in great shape. I was very impressed with that course."

"We're overjoyed that Big Brown will be returning to New Jersey," Bob Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park, said in a press release. "Big Brown coming back to the Jersey Shore will provide added excitement to September racing at Monmouth and should be an across the board winner for his connections, the fans, and the racing industry in New Jersey."

The Monmouth Stakes marks Big Browns’ second race on turf. On September 3, 2007 Big Brown broke his maiden, winning by 11 1/4 lengths over the Saratoga turf course.

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