Results tagged “bigbrown”

Saturday's Belmont Stakes wasn't the swan song for Big Brown. The three-year-old horse will reportedly race again. While they are still searching for an injury to explain the horse's last-place finish in the Belmont, his owners, IEAH, have decided to enter him in the Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs on August 23rd. The Travers usually attracts the top three-year olds in racing and perhaps it will give us the much-anticipated Big Brown-Casino Drive matchup that was scheduled for last Saturday, but scratched when Casino Drive stepped on a stone.

In the end, Big Brown was nothing more than a tease. Rick Dutrow, Jr., Big Brown’s trainer had guaranteed victory before the race, but his horse was unable to complete delivery. Dutrow’s bluster disappeared in the dust of the Belmont track as his horse went from a 1-4 favorite to dead last in a stunning result Saturday.

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.

Will he do it or won’t he? That is the only question heading into the Belmont Stakes tomorrow. Will Big Brown become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978 or will he join the nine other horses since then who won the first two legs, only to fall short at the Belmont?