Racing for the Triple Crown
NGUYEN: Barry Bonds -- well, pleads not guilty. The all-time home run champ is accused of lying to a grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. He faces 15 felony charges. Bond didn't speak during the court appearance on Friday but his trial is set to start next March.</s>SIMON: Well, it's been 30 years since we've seen a Triple Crown winner, but now, it is just down to a mile and a half. Big Brown is the hoofs down favorite to win the Belmont stakes today. Sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, joins us live from New York. And, Rick, you know, first of all, you know, you talk about buzz, I mean, Belmont, they couldn't have asked for anything better. ABC, which is broadcasting the Belmont, they have to be very psyched about this. Talk for a moment about the history that can be made here.</s>RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, first of all, the hoofs down favorite line, whoever wrote that should be chastised but that's for another matter. Yes, good morning. I'm heading out to the Belmont, too, and it is a lot of buzz. $150 million or so in handle, 125,000 people out there, six minutes of racing in a five-week period may yield the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. Now, what I'm going to do, by the way, here's some advice -- 10 horses, bet 10 horses to show -- that's a sissy bet, I understand -- but I either have the souvenir of history or I've got the souvenir of one of the nine horses that beat him.</s>SIMON: Well, there's so much money that could be made here. It's really ridiculous. Talk about the figures, you know, both for Belmont, economic impact, all of that.</s>HORROW: Well, the Belmont economic impact is about $50 million or $60 million. But the other figure is clearly about Big Brown's ownership group. Now, they bought Big Brown for about $3.5 million on a pro rata basis and then, flipped his breeding rights around the Preakness for $50 million. That's $150,000 a mating, as they call it, in the trade. It's really good work, if you can get it.</s>SIMON: Hey, Rick, what's the name of the other horse from Japan, they say that horse may have a shot?</s>HORROW: Well, Casino Drive, I think, is his name. But it's interesting. The owner and trainer of Big Brown said, "If you come over here, Godzilla is alive and he's waiting for the Japanese at this track. So, it's trash-talking equine style which is a very interesting comment.</s>SIMON: Well, everybody says it's a foregone conclusion that Big Brown is going to win this thing. Are we going to have this race or not? I mean, everybody says he's going to win. Talk about what makes this horse so special, especially for people who don't know anything about horse racing.</s>HORROW: His charisma, he's smart, I have the ability to communicate directly with him. He says...</s>NGUYEN: You're the horse whisperer,</s>HORROW: Yes, I'm the horse whisperer. You know, I've been called a lot of things by you, but that's, I think, fairly flattering, OK? So, the bottom line, he says his toenail hurts a little bit but he's going to be OK. By the way, he has a decision to make, right? Because, does he go out to stud, which, again, is good work if he can get it, or like citation, affirm -- the big-time horses, they win 20 or 30 wins after the Triple Crown and he did a marketing deal, a licenses deal like secretariat. So, look for him in those mustached milk ads if he wins.</s>SIMON: Yes, really. Not a bad idea. And you know, look, let's be honest, the horseracing industry could use some good PR especially after the Kentucky Derby and the filly who came in second there, had to be euthanized. So, this is really great for the sport. Talk about what happens to Big Brown should he win? I mean, is he going to keep racing or what happens?</s>HORROW: Well, like I said, he certainly has that decision to make. It will be so economically advantageous for the ownership group to have the stud priced and send him out to pasture, so to speak, that it may be difficult for him in this day and age to actually continue to race. You know, nobody talks to him, maybe I can offer some opinions as the horse whisperer. I would suspect that he will be a marketing guru for all time, especially as the first Triple Crown winner for 30 years. But, again, I am not crisping (ph), I do not pick these races, nor stocks, nor real estate, nor weather. This is that case, although it's hard to imagine the horse losing. As I said, he tells me that he's doing pretty well and he's excited this morning.</s>SIMON: All right. Rick, before we go, this is a really good sports weekend. You have the Belmont, you have the Celtics/Lakers, and you also have the French Open. Number one and number two, three years in a row, Federer and Nadal, can Federer do it this time?</s>HORROW: Well, you know, it's hard for him to do it on clay, as you know. I know you're a tennis guy and I just came back from Europe. There's a lot more buzz, I can guarantee you, about the French Open over in Scotland and Europe than there is here. We need as the USTA to put more money into the programs so we have the American kids on both sides -- men's and women, to make people interested because it's Federer and Nadal, they will be interested in that. But, of course, U.S. Open. Next week, we're going to talk a little bit about golf. I'm not supposed to talk about the hole in one I had in Scotland last -- yesterday. So, I'm not, I won't. So --</s>NGUYEN: But we have a picture. Not the hole in one but it's something that is much more comical.</s>HORROW: Well, you'll have the hole in one, too, but you have those pictures next week. But it's a big weekend. The Lakers, as we said, the NBA finals, this is a sportsperson's dream. And I'm going out to the Belmont to buy those 10 tickets.</s>NGUYEN: I was about to say, why aren't you there right now?</s>HORROW: Well, it's like eight hours from the race. I've got a golf game to play first.</s>NGUYEN: Oh, goodness. You know, speaking of golf, we do have those pictures next week, very special pictures of Rick. Rick, thank you. And we're going to tell the viewers a little bit about them. They're new pictures that he'd probably hoped no one would ever see again in life. Well, here's why. The man's got some really knobby knees and we're going to show it to you next week. So, stay tuned for that.</s>SIMON: And I hear T.J. is coming back just to see that?</s>NGUYEN: And coming all the way back from his humanitarian trip to Africa just to see the pictures. So, you can't miss it. Set your alarm clock, folks. Also, they have got some game. Take a look at this. Senior citizens caught up in the Wii craze.</s>SIMON: And it's not just fun and games. How Wii, get it, Wii --</s>NGUYEN: Got it.</s>SIMON: -- could play a role in rehabilitation. That story is straight ahead.