Big Brown was eased in the stretch, officially not finishing the race. Veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said, "If the quarter crack played any role, he would have shown some tenderness, although I guess it could be minor enough, he's a smart horse, might have decided it wasn't his day and he was not going to try. And you could say the same thing about the heat but I think we have to wait for his veterinary examination.

The two minutes that he was on the track coming back, he looked fine, and there was not anything outwardly apparent." Jockey Kent Desormeaux said, "He was keen to go on early. He broke so hard. I got him out early and just cantered down the backside. A couple of times, he thought it was time to go and jumped into the bridle a couple of times. But I had no horse, and when I realized something was wrong, I knew he wouldn't be fifth. He's the best horse I've ever been on, so I took care of him."