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Written by Tom Wilkinson
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Monday, 09 June 2008 |
Big Brown went off as the 1-4 Belmont betting favorite on Saturday but disappointed millions of fans around the world, finishing last in the 140th Belmont Stakes. Big Brown was attempting to become only the 12th horse in history to win the Triple Crown but after some early trouble had nothing for the stretch run and was eased by jockey Kent Desormeaux through the stretch.
A crowd of 94,476 was shocked by Big Brown’s loss as most thought they would see history made in the Belmont. The winner of the race was 38-1 longshot Da' Tara, who led start to finish to win by 5 1/4 lengths. Denis of Cork finished second while Anak Nakal and Ready's Echo finished in a dead heat for third. Macho Again was fifth and was followed by Tale of Ekati, Guadalcanal, Icabad Crane, and Big Brown.
Da' Tara paid $79 to win and ran a slow time of 2:29.65 on a fast track. This is the second time in five years that trainer Nick Zito has stopped a Triple Crown bid as in 2004 he trained Belmont winner Birdstone who upset Smarty Jones. The win by Da' Tara was only his second in eight starts.
The race did not go according to plan for Big Brown or jockey Kent Desormeaux. The horse was a little rank heading into the first turn but Desormeaux was able to get Big Brown into prime stalking position but Big Brown had nothing left. Desormeaux decided to ease Big Brown up rather than racing for fifth or sixth place. "I wasn't going to be fifth," he said, "This is the best horse I ever rode. I took care of him." |
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Written by Jason Viscosi
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Monday, 09 June 2008 |
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140th Belmont Stakes Results Off: 6:31 | 1 1/2 Miles | 3 Year Olds | Stakes | Purse: $1,000,000
| | Horse | Jockey | Win | Place | Show | | 6 | Da' Tara | Garcia Alan | 79.00 | 28.00 | 14.80 | | 4 | Denis of Cork | Albarado R J | | 5.40 | 4.10 | | 8 | DH-Anak Nakal | Leparoux J R | | | 7.60 | | 9 | DH-Ready's Echo | Velazquez J R | | | 6.20 | Scratched: Casino Drive
Also ran: Macho Again, Tale of Ekati, Guadalcanal, Icabad Crane and Big Brown
Winning Trainer: Zito Nicholas P - Owner: LaPenta Robert V. $2 Exacta (6-4) Paid $659.00
$2 Trifecta (6-4-8) Paid $3,703.00
$2 Trifecta (6-4-9) Paid $3,954.00
$2 Superfecta (6-4-8-9) Paid $48,637.00
$2 Superfecta (6-4-9-8) Paid $47,309.00
$2 Daily Double (10-6) Paid $1,574.00
$2 Daily Double (BROOKLYN / BELMONT 2-6) Paid $550.00
$2 Pick 3 (5-10-6) Paid $6,475.00
$2 Pick 4 (1-5-10-6) Paid $34,287.00
$2 Pick 6 (3/7-4-1-5-10-6) 5 Correct Paid $1,106.00
$2 Consolation Double (BROOKLYN / BELMONT 2-5) Paid $7.30 |
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Written by Jason Viscosi
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Friday, 06 June 2008 |
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Belmont Stakes betting second choice Casino Drive has a bruised hoof but will probably still run in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The horse has not worked well this week and now has a hoof problem. It was expected that Casino Drive would be the horse to test Big Brown in the Belmont but that is now in question. "We are not 100 percent happy with the movement of the hind leg," said racing manager Nobutaka Tada, "We haven't withdrawn him, just giving him an easy day." Casino Drive has walked all over the Belmont horse paths this week and it is assumed he stepped on something that caused the bruise. "He probably stepped on something," Tada said. "He looks fine, he has a good appetite. He's not lame." It is not expected that Casino Drive will be scratched but that could change. "If he stays like this, there's no reason to stop him. At the moment, we are not thinking of scratching." Tada said.
In other Belmont news, Big Brown will have his quarter crack patched up for the final time on Friday. "As far as everything I see, it couldn't be better," hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said, "The patch we put on today will be very routine at this point." The quarter crack is not even a minor concern anymore for trainer Rick Dutrow. Jockey Kent Desormeaux is not concerned either. "I think I'm ready to make history," he said. |
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Written by Tom Wilkinson
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Thursday, 05 June 2008 |
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Big Brown will go off as the prohibitive favorite in Belmont Stakes betting, probably at odds of 1-5. While Big Brown will probably win the Belmont and become only the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, he is no lock. Despite what trainer Rick Dutrow said about Big Brown being a “foregone conclusion” to win the Belmont, history has shown that anything can happen in this mile and a half race. Let’s look at each of the 10 horses in the 2008 Belmont Stakes betting field by post position.
#1 Big Brown – Unbeaten and unchallenged, the horse has done nothing wrong and is a deserving favorite. He is unbeaten in five races, has won each easily and has Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux. The Belmont though is a mile and half and has proven to be a difficult race for even the best horses. Three straight years from 2002-2004 it seemed that horse racing would have a sure Triple Crown winner, yet each time the horses failed. Smarty Jones was hugely popular and thought of as a lock in 2004, yet the horse lost. Big Brown is definitely the best horse in the field and should win, but he is not a cinch. He has to deal with his quarter-crack, breaks from the rail, and it is possible the Belmont track on Saturday could be muddy.
#2 Guadalcanal – This is one horse that really is out of his league. He has never even won a race and now is in the Belmont Stakes. The connections entered him at the last minute but he could easily go off at odds of 99-1. Anything can happen in horse racing but if this horse wins it would be a monumental upset.
#3 Macho Again – This horse keeps looking better and better. He finished second to Big Brown in the Preakness and his pedigree is solid. His sire was two year old champion Macho Uno and his sire was the 1994 Horse of the Year, Holy Bull. This is a horse that could upset Big Brown if things go his way. |
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