Champion, dual classic winner and former leading New York sire Big Brown arrived at Old Friends for retirement last week. Susie Raisher Photo.
Champion, dual classic winner and pensioned former leading New York sire Big Brown arrived at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, last week for his retirement.
The 19-year-old son of Boundary arrived at the Thoroughbred retirement operation Friday courtesy of Andy Cohen, managing partner of the Big Brown syndicate. Big Brown, who most recently stood at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater, becomes the fifth Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner to retire to Old Friends. He joins Silver Charm, War Emblem, Charismatic and I’ll Have Another.
“We are excited beyond measure to welcome Big Brown as an honored member of the Old Friends family,” said John Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Old Friends. “We are deeply grateful to Andy Cohen and all of Big Brown’s connections for choosing to share this great horse with racing fans everywhere. I know his legions of fans will love having the chance to visit him throughout the year. Big Brown will be an awesome ambassador, not only for Old Friends, but for the sport of Thoroughbred Racing.”
Campaigned by a partnership that included Cohen, IEAH Stables and the late Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown won seven of eight starts including the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He also won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational and Grade 1 Florida Derby for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. He retired in late 2008 with earnings of $3,614,500 and earned the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male.
“It doesn’t seem that long ago when we would visit Big Brown in the middle of the night and just hang out with him,” Cohen said. “He was like a puppy and especially loved it when the young children would come over to pet him. As sweet as he was, when he got on the racetrack he knew it was time to go to work. I remember after his race at Gulfstream Park, Kent Desormeaux said ‘he is the fastest horse I’ve ever ridden and the rest is history.’
“After visiting Old Friends and getting to know John Nicholson and Michael Blowen, I couldn’t be more comfortable knowing Big Brown will get the love and care he deserves at Old Friends where the horse is the boss.”
Big Brown settles in at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. Photo courtesy of Old Friends.
Big Brown started his stallion career in 2009 at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. He stood there, along with Southern Hemisphere seasons in Australia from 2010 to 2014, until 2015. Cohen’s Sunrise Stables and Gary Tolchin’s Golden Goose Enterprises obtained a majority interest in Big Brown in 2015 and announced he would relocate to New York for the 2015 season.
Big Brown started his New York stud career at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains before relocating to Irish Hill & Dutchess Views for the 2018 season.
Big Brown topped the New York general sire list with more than $2.7 million in progeny earnings in 2020. He finished second on the same list – with more than $3.2 million in progeny earnings – in 2021 and ranked among the top 10 stallions in the Empire State until he was pensioned in 2024.
Big Brown currently ranks seventh on the New York sire list, with progeny earnings of more than $1 million, including $246,900 earned by the late stakes winner The Big Torpedo. Big Brown also sired Grade 1 winner and $1,987,505-earner Dortmund, Grade 2 winners Somelikeithotbrown, Kiss to Remember and Coach Inge and Grade 3 winners Send It In, Nancy, Darwin, Dawnie Perfect and Big Wildcat. He’s the sire of 13 crops, including 19 current 2-year-olds and 18 yearlings, 30 blacktype winners and the earners of more than $37.4 million.
Old Friends will host “Big Brown’s Barn Bash” Friday, October 18. The event will feature fun activities and a chance to meet Big Brown. Additional information will be provided soon.
