Results tagged “horseracing”

The showdown won’t happen tomorrow at the Belmont Stakes. Mine That Bird, winner of the Kentucky Derby, will not get the chance to avenge his loss in the Preakness to Rachel Alexandra because the filly's owner has decided to rest her out of concern for her long-term health.

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?

Three-year-old Curlin, jockeyed by Robby Albarado, won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic yesterday after finishing the 1 1/4 mile race with a home stretch run that ended with a 4 1/2 length victory. Curlin set the track record for the distance at Monmouth Park, despite conditions that were left sloppy after days of rain. It was an exciting race, with Curlin even with Street Sense coming out of the final turn--both chasing front runner Hard Spun. Unfortunately, a great race was marred by tragedy. Irish import George Washington, who was a turf runner competing on dirt for only the second time, severely broke a bone in his right front leg. It was necessary to euthanize the animal on the track.

Post time for the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic at New Jersey's Monmouth Park is 5:35 p.m. this evening, but a number of races will be run over the course of the day. If yesterday's weather and races (one is pictured above) are any indication, conditions are likely to be classified as sloppy. The favorite in the BC Classic is Lawyer Ron, who is running at 5-2 odds in the 9 horse field.

Senate Majority Joseph Bruno's and Governor Eliot Spitzer's epic Choppergate fight grows each and every day. Yesterday, Bruno demanded that investigations be opened to focus on Spitzer's administration and whether Spitzer staffers were engaged in trying to sabotage him. Bruno said, "A lot of people in authority think there was criminality in the executive branch... I want to know how much the governor knew ... This is not going to go away, not going to get swept under a rug."

A lot has changed for women in professional sports since 1905, but in that same time period no female horse has won the Belmont Stakes. Spectators at 139th running of the Belmont Stakes witnessed a little bit of history as Rags to Riches became only the 3rd filly in history to win the race. It was the first filly to win a Triple Crown race since the 1988 Kentucky Derby. Excelling at "Test of the Champion" seems to be in the blood of Rags to Riches. A.P. Indy, her father won the stakes in 1992, and her half brother Jazil won last year.

The Belmont Stakes may be missing Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, and it may only be a field of seven, but that doesn't mean the 139th edition of the race won't be exciting. Some say that this is one of the most competitive fields in recent Belmont history. The odds makers have set Curlin, the Preakness winner, as the 6-5 favorite, a line that will likely come down by post time. The $1 million race is the longest race in the Triple Crown at 1.5 miles and is considered the "Test of the Champion." Odds makers also like Hard Spun (5-2), the horse that finished 2nd in the Derby and 3rd in the Preakness (Curlin finished 3rd in the Derby). Rags to Riches, who looks to become the first filly to win since 1905, is the third favorite at 3-1.

On a windy day at Belmont Park, 18 year-old Fernando Jara rode Jazel to the horse's 2nd win ever. Jara was the youngest jockey to win the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, since 1978 when Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed to the Triple Crown. 1978 also happened to be the last time the Triple Crown was won. Only 61,168 were on hand to witness the day's races. Despite the small crowd on hand, $8,958,323 was bet on races throughout the day.

- Get your seersucker suits and sun dresses out! Tomorrow evening is the 138th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown and horse racing's "Test of the Champion." Races on stakes day begin at noon with post time for the Belmont Stakes at 6:33 pm Television coverage starts at noon on ESPN with coverage on ABC starting at 5. The current favorite for the race is Bluegrass Cat, but the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness will both be absent from the race. Barbaro was injured at the Preakness and the owner of Preakness winner Bernardini decided to rest him. Pre-Derby favorite Brother Derek will also be absent. But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of fun at Belmont, especially since general admission is only $5.

The 137th running of the Belmont Stakes had been promoted as the rubber match between Giacomo and Afleet Alex, but the duel never materialized. Afleet Alex left the field in the dust, running the fastest final quarter mile at the Belmont since 1969 and winning the race by seven lengths.

Bellamy Road's trainer, Nick Zito, had five horses in the race, but none finished higher than the favorite who eventually finished in 7th. The Brooklyn born Zito was trying to win the 3rd Derby in his career.

Saturday evening, Smarty Jones was attempting to win the Triple Crown, something most people at Belmont Park wanted to happen. It was a chance for Smarty Jones to make history and a chance for the record crowd of 120,139 to witness history. Unfortunately for them, that didn't happen. Smarty Jones lost the Belmont Stakes - the "Test of the Champion" - to Birdstone.

Tomorrow evening, Smarty Jones goes for the Triple Crown at Belmont Park, looking to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to accomplish horse racing's biggest feat. The Triple Crown starts with the Kentucky Derby, followed by the Preakness Stakes, and finally the Belmont Stakes tomorrow. There is plenty of Belmont coverage from The Times, from Newsday, and from the Post. The official Belmont site also has a lot of information.

On Saturday, Smarty Jones set records as he won at Pimlico in Maryland. With his 11 1/2 length victory, Smarty Jones looks to become the first undefeated horse to win the Triple Crown since Seattle Slew in 1977. To do this, he will have to win the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown. Belmont's distance of 1.5 miles is often a tough test for the thoroughbreds, but Smarty Jones looked so strong on Saturday, that it is very possible that the public could see a Triple Crown. Since 1997, four other horses have had the chance to win the Triple Crown but lost in New York - Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Charismatic, and Funny Cide.