2008 BELMONT STAKES
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HORSEPHOTOS/NTRA

Da'Tara wins the 140th running of The Belmont Stakes.

Da'TARA VICTORIOUS IN 140TH BELMONT STAKES

THE BELMONT STAKES OFFICIAL RESULTS

JUNE 7, 2008

BELMONT STAKES

GRADE I

BELMONT RACETRACK, ELMONT, NEW YORK

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS

ONE AND ONE-HALF MILES

MAIN TRACK: FAST

 

Pgm Horse Win Place Show
6

Da’Tara

 79.00 28.00 14.80
4 Denis Of Cork    5.40 4.10
8 (DH) Anak Nakal      7.60
9  (DH) Ready’s Echo     6.20

$2 EXACTA 6-4

$659.00

$2 TRIFECTA 6-4-8

$3,703.00

$2 TRIFECTA 6-4-9

$3,954.00

Da’Tara

Winner

140th Belmont Stakes

Jockey: Alan Garcia

Trainer: Nicholas P. Zito

Owners: Robert LaPenta

Three Year Old Dark Bay Colt - April 26, 2005

Bred by WinStar Farm LLC (KY)

 

OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH

Program Number Horse Lengths Behind
6 Da’Tara  
4 Denis of Cork 5.25
8 Anak Nakal 7.75
9 Ready’s Echo 7.75
3 Macho Again 10.75
7 Tale Of Ekati 18
2 Guadalcanal 24.50
10 Icabad Crane 25
1 Big Brown Eased

 23.82, 48.30, 1:12.90, 1:37.96, 2:03.21, 2:29.65

 

Scratched: Casino Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

Belmont Stakes 140

June 7, 2008

Belmont Park - Elmont, NY

It was suppose to be the coronation day befit for a champion.  The day when all the world would celebrate a feat that had not been accomplished in some thirty years.  A day when a three-year-old colt would race into immortality in the horse racing annals.  Except someone forgot to tell that colt all of these things as the temperatures on Belmont Stakes day melted away any ticker tape parades and coronation ceremonies.

The day started auspiciously enough when it was announced that potential Belmont starter Casino Drive would be scratched because of a stone bruise he had suffered on Friday.  Soon thereafter it was announced that legendary ABC sportscaster, and founder of the Maryland Million, Jim McKay had died at the age of 86.  To this point the day had not been going well.  Add on top of that the extreme heat that was plaguing a good portion of the eastern seaboard.  Mix all that together with 96,000 plus race fans craving to see history and the day left many with a  pit in their stomach about what would happen that afternoon.  ESPN did their best to sabotage the day with negative stories about quarter cracks, steroids and less than savory owners and trainers.  As a matter of fact local news outlets had some very unsavory stories about the business leading right up to post time.  After the stunning and tragic breakdown of filly, Eight Belles, in the Kentucky Derby the sport could not afford to have something go wrong on its biggest stage of the year.  The Breeders’ Cup is a big day but when you have a colt going for the Triple Crown that tends overshadow the end of the year championships to the casual fan.

With that said the Belmont Stakes undercard was very entertaining and IEAH Stables and trainer Richard Dutrow had already won a race on the card with Benny The Bull, named after a Dora The Explorer character, winning The True North Handicap.  An explosive performance to say the least left many thinking that bigger things were waiting in the wings for this group as the big colt Big Brown was in the barn waiting for his turn.

We had heard all week about Brownie’s quarter crack and the connections dismissal of the significance of the injury and the fact that he did not get his monthly Wistrol injection on the fifteenth of the previous month as usual.  We also heard that since main competitor Casino Drive scratched this race should be a walk over which prompted the cocky trainer of the post time favorite to guarantee victory.  What?  The dreaded kiss of death for sure.  Even as post time approached there was nothing to make one see otherwise.  On paper this group was inferior to Big Brown at every indicator.  The walk over and the post parade did nothing to dissuade the betting public from sending their adopted colt off at a staggering 1/5.  At the gate he loaded well and stood attentively while the rest of the field loaded and then when the gates opened all the air was let out of the balloon as the colt would just lose his composure and a chance at history.

Running down to the first turn Brownie’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux, would do all he could to take his colt from the one post and the rail to the three path and clear running on the outside.  The trip through the first turn would prove costly as the horse almost cut off a few other runners and potentially could have clipped heals while Da’Tara would find himself on the lead down the backside as Tale of Ekati would be inside Big Brown in the two path.  Big Brown would be in the three, four and five paths trying to throttle down for the long run down the backside.  As the field moved down the backside Da’Tara was allowed to run uncontested through the opening six panels as Big Brown looked to be unnerved running next Tale of Ekati, although he was in his customary spot in striking distance as the leaders hit the far turn.  In the turn Da’Tara looked to open up some daylight on the chasers with two lengths not looking insurmountable but Kent Desormeaux was now pushing on the favorite with one now witnessing the air leaving the balloon. In an instant Big Brown’s day was over when he went from third to last in about twenty yards and was eased by his jockey to the dismay of all in attendance and the millions around the world watching on television.  In the meantime Da’Tara was putting on a show opening up daylight on the field beating Denis Of Cork by five an one-quarter lengths to win The 2008 Belmont Stakes in a final time of 2:29.65.  A great victory that in a years time no one will remember as the vision of Big Brown cantering down the lane after being pulled up is all that will be remembered on this day.

The aftermath of this event was stunning for participants and witnesses’ alike.  What happened?  The biggest day of the year and career for Big Brown and he lays an egg like no other.  Other Triple Crown eligible contestants from years past have failed but never to the heights of this failure.  Now the speculation will begin as nobody in the building had a viable explanation.  The on call vet could see no possible distress of the animal and put to rest that potential skipped steroid shot as a reason to run that badly.  The trainer was speechless as he went back to the barn to try and find out why his colt ran so poorly and was adamant that the quarter crack was not the reason for the failure.  And last of all was the colts jock who professed his entrant to be out gas in the far turn and stated "I wasn't going to be fifth," he said, "This is the best horse I ever rode. I took care of him."  This may not sit well in the hearts of bettors who played the exotics but what happened, happened.

For those who will claim that the steroids, or lack thereof, affected Big Brown’s performance, how do you explain his awesome performance in his maiden win at Saratoga under then conditioner Pat Reynolds?  This pre-Dutrow performance was steroid free so the thought that steroids was a contributor for this epic failure is false.  Next the naysayer’s will point to the quarter crack and the late patch applied by foot specialist Ian McKinnley.  As much as some do not want to hear it this injury is quite common and run on all the time.  The injury itself is not the reason he lost but it could have contributed to his lack of exercise in staying on the edge for the Belmont, but we will never know.  The colt was rank in the first turn and that  may have been the biggest contributor to the failure of winning this race.  In a nine horse field going a mile and a half on big sandy what was the real hurry to move to three path.  By the backside Desormeaux could have easily swung out without such a battle on his hands, as his colt looked as if he wanted no part of what his pilot was doing.  Race riding from an easy chair is much easier that the little leather saddle on the colts back. Perhaps it could just be the riggers of the Triple Crown.  The colt ran five races, including the Belmont Stakes, since March 5.  Not only did he run and win them he ran career best numbers of other foes.  Maybe he just reached his physical limitations.  When you stack all this stuff up it can look a little overwhelming for one individual not to mention a colt who has only run six times.  The expectations were too much and maybe we the public are partly to blame.  Yes we wanted a champion, but realistically he could have bounced in the Preakness but didn’t so the fact that he got this far is amazing.  No other colt has won the Triple Crown in thirty years why should we be extra disappointed at Big Brown because he couldn’t do it?  Only time will show what happened on this day, then again maybe this might go down as one of the biggest triple crown mysteries of all time.  Either way it doesn’t matter in the end.  What people fail to realize is they saw a great day of racing at Belmont this day and all they will take away from it was the disappointment of no triple crown and the stench of a sport that may not be on the up and up and continues to languish in the stench of the trash can news cycle.  But with all this said if the connections of Big Brown think they will train up to the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August, which will have very much the same conditions of this day with large crowds and steamy weather they better think again.  This horse will need a prep and the Haskell at Monmouth may be the perfect set up for that return.  No matter what, the Curlin camp has not lost any sleep over the potential showdown with Brown.  Congratulations to Da’Tara, owner Robert LaPenta, trainer Nick Zito and jockey Alan Garcia.  See you next year on the Triple Crown trail.
 
138th Belmont Stakes Race Recap:

The field was sent off to a good start as the field of nine, after the scratch of Casino Drive, ran to the first turn.  Big Brown jockey Kent Desomeaux was adamant about getting his colt off the fence and into the three path which caused some anxious moments and the colt was a bit rank while Da’Tara led the field through the turn and down the backside. Tale Of Ekati and Big Brown ran two- three well off the rail with Anak Nakal another length back in fourth.  It would be another six lengths back to the rest of the field as Da’Tara got three-quarters in 1:12.90 running at a very nice clip.  Still in third Big Brown looked as if he could take this race at any time.  In the far turn Da’Tara opened up to two lengths as Tale Of Ekati tried to keep pace with Big Brown now laboring as his jockey was pushing hard on his neck with no response.  Da’Tara would enter the lane with a four-length lead looking rather fresh after running a mile plus as Denis of Cork and Anak Nakal were running second and third.  Post time favorite Big Brown went from third to last in the turn and was pulled up by his jockey.  In deep stretch Da’Tara streaked to the wire to win The 2008 Belmont Stakes by five and one-quarter lengths in a final time of 2:29.65.  Denis Of Cork was second while Da’Tara’s stable mate, Anak Nakal, and Ready’s Echo dead heated for third.  Da’Tara is a three-year-old dark bay/brown colt owned by Robert V. LaPenta, trained by Nicholas P. Zito and was ridden by Alan Garcia.