Big Brown fell short in a bid to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years today, finishing last after being pulled up by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Belmont Stakes. The overwhelming 1-4 favorite, Big Brown had been suffering from a highly publicized hoof injury for over a week, so that may have been a contributing factor in the thoroughbred’s rough outing.
Da’Tara, ridden by Alan Garcia and trained by Nick Zito, was the wire-to-wire winner of the 2008 Belmont Stakes. This horse was a 38-1 underdog, meaning that whoever bet on him walked away with a heck of a payout.
Of course, those who didn’t have money on the race were simply tuning in to see how Big Brown fared. It seemed like he was a shoe-in to win, especially when Casino Drive, Big Brown’s toughest competitor in the field, was a scratch.
But the Triple Crown simply wasn’t meant to be. Big Brown now joins a long list of horses that came up short in this final leg, including Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Charismatic, Real Quiet, and Silver Charm.
(AP Photo/Denis Paquin)