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.
