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Posted By: Bob Pomilla

A quarter crack is a painful injury and doubtless the horse was hurting, despite the treatments. It was also reported in The Bloodhorse, that Big Brown had suffered rundown (a scraping of the heels, due to contact with the track, while running) injuries to both rear heels, during the running of the Preakness and photos of his rearheels after the Preakness, showed that he had bled in them. This was a horse in some degree of pain, which may have worsened during the course of the race.

The heat, the distance, also, may have come into play.