June 7, 2008
Big Brown Leaves One on Belmont Racetrack
Photograph of Da' Tara--and jockey Alan Garcia--crossing the finish line and winning the 140th Belmont Stakes by Rob Carr/AP
Heavily favored Big Brown was only successful at becoming the 12th straight contender to fall short of winning the Triple Crown at the final race since the last time it was accomplished in 1978. That's probably why the Triple Crown is so esteemed, because it's extremely hard to win. The winner of the Belmont Stakes was Da'Tara--the 38-1 longshot who nonetheless led the race from the gate to the wire.
Big Brown, whose success was practically assured by his trainer and people who know anything about horses, finished dead last. His jockey Kent Desormeaux said that when he was in third place and nudged Big Brown to one of his epic home stretch drives, the three-year-old just sputtered. "I had no horse."
Desormeaux pulled up when he realized that the win was not possible, knowing that getting the almost-champion back to the stables safe and uninjured was more important than whatever place Big Brown could achieve. The horse had a hiccup in his training in the days before the race when a crack was discovered in one of his hooves, but it was treated and a veterinarian said there was no reason why it would have contributed to the horse's poor showing.
When asked what could have possibly contributed to Big Brown's poor showing, if not physical injury, Desormeaux could only reply to a reporter, "I have no idea."
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The Saga of Big Brown:
Today, the Belmont Stakes.
Tomorrow, Alpo.
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I have the utmost respect for Big Brown. I only wish it would teach some lessons to the horse racing industry.
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what do you mean by:
?
It sounds like you mean, the last 12 horses to run in the triple crown all won the kentucky derby and the preakness, but did not win the belmont, thus failing in the quest for the triple crown.
But if that is indeed what you mean, then you are wrong. Street Sense ran in the 2007 derby but got second in the preakness. Even beloved Barbaro didn't win the preakness.
So, what do you mean? If that is not what you mean, then your sentence very confusing, and I'd consider rewording it.
The article you link to uses the number 12 only once, and that is in saying that Big Brown did not become the 12th triple crown winner.
I always thought Gothamist was kind of sloppy, but I thought it was for typos and misplaced commas, not the kinds of factual errors I've seen recently.
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If Big Brown loses then it doesn't look good for Obama considering the similar trajectory they have both followed. Eight Belles and Hillary have both ended and now Big Brown doesn't deliver. Hmmm.
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[3] I apologize if you got confused. My understanding of horse racing is limited and my phrasing is based on a few certain premises. One is that while "The Triple Crown" is a collection of races; it is generally referred to as the award-winning designation of winning the Derby, the Preakness, and Belmont.
The word "contender" was used very specifically and in conjunction with the phrase "the final race." If one horse wins the Derby and then loses the Preakness, it is no longer a contender for the Triple Crown. No one would even bring up the phrase Triple Crown after a Preakness loss because the horse has eliminated itself from contention.
When I wrote "12th straight contender to fall short of winning the Triple Crown at the final race [and you excluded the very important] "since the last time it was accomplished in 1978," I meant explicitly that. This AP article lists the other 11 horses that won the Derby and the Preakness since 1978, but failed to win the Triple Crown by losing at Belmont.
Thanks for reading and the feedback though. I do appreciate it.
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I can't wait for ConEd's pony, Big Brown Out, to make a showing.
Hey I should write for Letterman.
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Hi Dave,
I don't think you got my meaning. I mean it sounds like you are saying the last 12 winners of the kentucky derby also won the preakness but lost the belmont, thus falling short in the finally race.
But, I still don't understand what you are trying to say.
"12th straight contender to fall short of winning the triple crown at the final race since the last time it was accomplished in 1978" seems to say to me that in the years 1996-2008, we had 12 straight races where the horse won the first 2 races and lost the final one. That is not the case.
If since 1978 there have been 12 horses who won the derby and the preakness but lost the belmont, then ok, but they have not been all in a row (as the "straight" implies). But it seems not even that is correct.
I also now have a further point of confusion as the link you pointed to here shows 11 triple crown winners, and 18 near misses of winning the first two and not winning at Belmont. These go back as far as 1944.
And at least for one saturday afternoon in May, they triple there is a whole field of triple crown contenders.
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That last sentence should read "And at least for one saturday afternoon in May, there is a whole field of triple crown contenders."
Sometimes my touch pad gets away from me and the curser moves.
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@matty That's a good one!
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When asked what could have possibly contributed to Big Brown's poor showing, if not physical injury, Desormeaux could only reply to a reporter, "I have no idea."
Existential angst.
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it was really, really hot yesterday. did that contribute to bad performance? i feel bad for those horses.