I agree with Jan; no question it is exciting to think of, and yes, to watch, a horse 'run away from' the field as Big Brown did yesterday. I'd had the satellite on, switched to network just as they were parading to the post...debated about even watching, but did. It WAS amazing; the jockey actually just let him COAST to the finish after looking back(by standing up and looking between his legs!), and seeing that no horse was even CLOSE. He didn't even HAVE his whip, actually; I saw a whip handed to him by another person on horseback just after he pulled his mount up, even as the outrider got there to take him back for the victory presentation--I have to wonder if that might even have been 'on purpose', to show that the horse would run without the whip(after the PETA criticism of the Eight Belles' jockey using the whip on her in the homestretch, just before her breakdown-unwarranted, I believe, because I cannot IMAGINE that ANY horse would be ABLE to continue to run if something had ALREADY BROKEN for any span of time before she fell...)
They(trainer, jockey) KNOW their horse, and I suspect, KNEW he would give it his all without the whip...JMO.
I would LOVE to see another Triple Crown winner, but only if the horse can do it and pull up SAFE and SOUND! If he does it, he will be MUCH in demand as a sire....but consider, the last one to do it-the gorgeous stallion Secretariat, was pretty much of a 'dud' in that respect. The real 'proof of the pudding' is ultimately always in the quality and abilities of the offspring!
Margo