June 9th, 2008
Big Brown, in his moment of glory did what no other Triple Crown contender has ever done. Not only did he lose but finished dead last.
Credit should go to Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown’s jockey. When he realized he had no horse left he eased him up. If only the jockey of Eight Belles had been paying attention things might be different.
There is lots of speculation on why this happened. Was it his quarter crack that was said to be only minor? Could it have been due to the fact that it was one of the hottest days in history? Was it rigged? Or could it have been due to the fact that there was steroid and drug use?
There are many who think that drugs could have been an issue. In a quote from John Wilson Bryant, a man who has worked at many racetracks such as, Churchill Downs, Kentucky, Elmont and Miami to name a few:
“Even at three years old, which is the age for the Triple Crown races, horses are not fully developed. They knees have not stopped growing so it takes a spectacular animal to win the triple crown and I believe the use of drugs have diluted the gene pool so much that horses cannot compete without drugs and that is sad. Horse Racing has got to stop the use of drugs so that the strong horse who can win without drugs can again stand at stud and produce colts and filly’s that can win the Triple Crown without the use of drugs.”
What are your thoughts?
June 9th, 2008
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!
June 7th, 2008
Nick Zito’s horse Da’ Tara wins Belmont Stakes at 38/1 odds to win; Big Brown finishes in last place.
In what was built up to be a “guaranteed win” for trainer Rick Dutrow and his horse Big Brown, the 2008 Belmont Stakes was won by a longshot, Da’ Tara. The horse racing industry would have to wait 31 years to see its next Triple Crown winner.
There will likely be many questions asked…
What went wrong? Was he injured? Was the heat at Belmont Park a factor? Here’s what jockey Kent Desormeaux had to say immediately following the race:
“He was keen to go on early…he breaks so early…he stumbled a bit,” Desormeaux said. “I have no idea what happened; I had no horse.”
Big Brown finished the Belmont Stakes in last place. The Triple Crown is denied.
As far as winner Da’ Tara and Nick Zito are concerned, this was indeed a big day and one that Zito was prepared to have fun with (when asked on Friday):
“These are long shots but that’s what makes racing,” Zito said Friday outside his barn at Belmont Park. “Look, Upset beat Man ‘o War (in 1919) and that’s where you get the sports terminology ‘upset.’ So that’s the deal. We’ll have fun with it.”
For more information on the Belmont Stakes, the Triple Crown and the upcoming Breeders’ Cup, check out the Bodog Racebook.
June 7th, 2008
For Big Brown, the road to the Triple Crown just got a lot less crowded.
Casino Drive, the second choice to win the Belmont Stakes behind favorite Big Brown, was scratched from the race this morning because of an injury to one of his hoofs. Racing manager Nobutaka Tada for Casino Drive said the horse was fine during a three-furlong jog early Saturday, but appeared to be favoring the hoof while receiving a bath following the workout.
“It’s not serious, it’s just a matter of timing,” Tada said. “The horse is OK.”
For the the last three weeks trainers from both stables were bantering back and forth with regards to which horse was going to win. Rick Dutrow, Big Brown’s trainer, kept saying how he thought he had the superior horse and that there wasn’t really any competition for him to worry about. With Casino Drive now out of the picture, Dutrow may get to see his horse cross the finish line first.
While the last-minute scratch is good news for Big Brown, the same can’t be said for Casino Drive.
“It’s very sad,” Tada said. “Many people support us. It’s sad that we couldn’t meet the expectations.”
Bet on Big Brown to win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown!
June 5th, 2008
Trainer Rick Dutrow created a bit of a shit storm prior to the Preakness when he told reporters that every horse in his stables — including Big Brown — was on steroids. Winstrol, to be precise. Apparently, his horses were receiving monthly shots of the stuff, which is legal in New York and is known to increase appetite and weight. But seeing as how the Belmont Stakes is only three weeks after the last shot was given, Dutrow figured Big Brown would do just fine without it.
“It’s just too much for three races in five weeks,” Dutrow told reporters Thursday. “He’s doing absolutely fabulous.”
If the name “Winstrol” rings a bell it’s because it’s the same steroid MLB pitcher Roger Clemens was alleged to be taking, Barry Bonds was also said to be on the junk, and it’s the same drug Canadian Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for back in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics.
“The horse looks like an absolute picture so I didn’t want to mess with anything, you know,” Dutrow said.
So there you have it. Big Brown will race clean on Saturday. Giddy up! Bet on the Belmont Stakes and on Big Brown to win the Triple Crown!
June 4th, 2008
His cracked hoof still needs some attention and he hasn’t even made his way to the starting gates at Belmont Park, but trainer Rick Dutrow has already committed Big Brown to race in the 2008 Breeder’s Cup.
“Why do you people in the media not believe me?” Dutrow said. “I’ve said all along that the plan is for Big Brown to run in the Breeders’ Cup.”
In a press release, Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo, the managing partner of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings (IEAH), which owns Big Brown, and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. all said they plan to run Big Brown in the Breeders’ Cup.
“The only thing that will keep Big Brown from running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is Big Brown,” Iavarone said. “If he is healthy, he will run.”
The 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships takes place on Oct. 24 and 25 at Santa Anita Park with a total purse of $25.5 million will be awarded over the two days, up from $23 million in 2007.
Get your Belmont Stakes odds and Breeders’ Cup betting at the Bodog Racebook!
June 4th, 2008
Belmont Stakes favorite Big Brown will be racing from the No. 1 position.
The post positions for the Belmont Stakes have been drawn and we’re only three days away from the big race. With Big Brown starting from the No.1 post position, we can only hope that the favorite to win will also become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. The big question on everyone’s mind: Will Big Brown’s injured hoof be a factor? Not according to trainer Rick Dutrow.
“He’s in better shape now than he has ever been,” Dutrow said Tuesday.
Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will make one final repair job to the cracked hoof on Friday and by all accounts that should seal the deal for Big Brown.
“The adhesive that we’ll rebuild that wall with is stronger than the hoof itself,” McKinlay told the Associated Press.
Big Brown’s biggest challenger at 7/2 odds to win the Belmont Stakes is Japanese-bred Casino Drive. He will start from the No. 5 post. Here is the complete field for the 2008 Belmont Stakes, including post position, horse’s name, and odds to win:
1. Big Brown 2/5 odds
2. Guadalcanal 50/1 odds
3. Macho Again 20/1 odds
4. Denis of Cork 12/1 odds
5. Casino Drive 7/2 odds
6. Da’Tara 30/1 odds
7. Tale of Ekati 20/1 odds
8. Anak Nakal 30/1 odds
9. Ready’s Echo 30/1 odds
10. Icabad Crane 20/1 odds
The post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:30 PM EST. You can watch live coverage of the race starting at 5 PM on ABC. Bet on Belmont Stakes and Big Brown to win the Triple Crown!
May 30th, 2008
In case you were wondering where Big Brown was getting all of confidence from you needn’t look any farther than his trainer, Rick Dutrow. According to Dutrow, it’s a “foregone conclusion” that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner will also take the Belmont Stakes — and the Triple Crown.
“I feel that he will do it,” Dutrow said Thursday during the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s pre-Belmont conference call. “I feel like it’s actually a foregone conclusion. To me, I just see the horses he’s in with and I see our horse so I expect him to win this race.”
And when asked what happened to Smarty Jones, the last horse to attempt to win the Triple Crown (but then lost the Belmont Stakes), Dutrow said that the horse didn’t have “smart enough” connections.
“They should have played it a lot safer, a lot better,” Dutrow said. “I don’t see that everybody was after the horse in the race.”
But going back to Big Brown and the big day that awaits them, Dutrow isn’t keeping anything back.
“I know that when that day actually does come, and if our horse is in good shape, it will be the most exciting, thrilling moment of my life. So I just … I know that that’s coming, but right now I’m just staying involved with our horse and what we think is best to get him there the right way and it keeps us plenty busy.”
Big Brown is still the favorite heading down the stretch. June 7th is just around the bend. Get your Belmont Stakes wagers while the odds are still smokin’ hot!
May 28th, 2008
Casino Drive is playing the spoiler role at the 2008 Belmont Stakes
In what is shaping up to be a cold exacta for horse racing bettors, the June 7th Belmont Stakes has added another element of intrigue to the mix: Edgar Prado. Jockeys from around the country were bidding for the rights to climb aboard Casino Drive, the horse believed to be this year’s Triple Crown spoiler, but in the end experience won and Prado was given the honors. (Prado who rode Barbaro to victory at the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but he’s got over 6,000 wins under his whip. For all his achievements, Prado will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, this August.)
“We decided at about noon,” racing manager Nobutaka Tada said. “We had many jockeys who wanted to ride him and that was very encouraging to us. There are so many good jockeys in America, but we decided we wanted a New York-based rider. Prado knows pace, he has the experience, having won two Belmonts, and he’s a patient rider. So, we’re very happy.”
Jockey Kent Desormeaux will be riding Belmont Stakes (and Triple Crown) favorite Big Brown, but admits this race will showcase two very capable winners. “It’s an absolute cold exacta,” Desormeaux said.
Meaning, what we’ve got here is the number one and number two horses…and according to Desormeaux, he’ll be riding the better of the two horses.
May 26th, 2008
This is what a quarter crack looks like; similar to the injury to Big Brown’s front left hoof.
It’s been quite a few years since we were this close to seeing a Triple Crown winner. Big Brown is poised to be the first one since 1978, but the Belmont Stakes is the toughest race for a horse to win.
Here’s an early look at the field and the odds each horse is currently getting:
Big Brown 2/7
Casino Drive 4/1
Denis Of Cork 12/1
Tale Of Ekati 20/1
Behindatthebar 25/1
Anak Nakal 50/1
Macho Again 50/1
Readys Image 50/1
Icabad Crane 50/1
Mint Lane 50/1
Spark Candle 50/1
Tomcito 50/1
The natural pick is the favorite Big Brown to win the third jewel, but many think that late-bloomer Casino Drive has the long legs and distance pedigree to win the Belmont. Denis of Cork is another good pick at 12/1. He’s another distance-bred horse, and seems to have returned to the form that won him the Southwest Stakes in February.
One news item to watch over the next fortnight is the condition of Big Brown’s left front hoof, which reportedly has a “quarter crack” in it. His handlers are optimistic that Big Brown will be able to run in the Belmont.
