Giant-killer Da’ Tara captures the 2008 Belmont Stakes

With all the post-race fallout surrounding Big Brown’s failed bid for the Triple Crown, no one really noticed that a 38-1 long shot led from wire to wire and won the race by 5 1/4 lengths. Da’ Tara won the Belmont in impressive fashion bringing his record to 7-2-2-1.

He paid $79.80 on a $2 bet to win, $28 to place and $14.80 to show. Denis of Cork paid $5.40 and $4.10 for his second-place finish. Both Anak Nakal and Ready’s Echo paid $7.60 for their third-place finish.

So we will have to continue to wait for a Triple Crown champion at least another year. Big Brown was held up by jockey Kent Desormeaux after the final turn, where he was losing ground with every stride. As it has for so many Triple Crown hopefuls, Belmont Park was too much too soon for a horse that was not bred for longevity.

Only 137 days to go until the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships!