Triple Crown wait continues, jockey pulls up when rock star horse BB not rolling right

By Jeff Freedman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/7/08– Big Brown has failed to become the 12th horse to win the coveted Triple Crown of racing, losing in an historic upset to Da’Tara, a 38-1 shot, who captured the Belmont Stakes in a wire-to-wire win. Not since Affirmed in 1978 had this feat been accomplished and the wait continues.

On a day when another record was set, as the weather reached 93 degrees, the hottest temperature on record in Elmont, N.Y. on June 7th, Big Brown, with jockey Kent Desormeaux on top, joined 15 other horses who had won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes and failed to win the Belmont – crossing the finish line well back having been pulled up in the grueling mile-and-a-quarter race.

There were over 120,000 in attendance at Belmont Park to witness this historic event. All of them, along with countless railbirds who were unable to make it, and those who watched on television, other race tracks and OTB parlors around the country will now be able to tell their friends, relatives and grandchildren where they were on this memorable day, but perhaps not for the reasons they expected.

Previously, Big Brown had won the Kentucky Derby by 4 ¾ lengths and then cruised to a romp in the Preakness by 5 ¼ lengths. He seemed relatively unchallenged in either race, and there were great expectations that there was no other horse that could really mount a challenge to Big Brown on this day. The odds certainly reflected it.

Starting from post position number 1, Big Brown got away easy and tucked in second along the rail. He dropped to third around the first turn, off the rail a bit on the outside. Coming to the clubhouse turn he maintained his position, waiting for the just right moment to make his move at the ¾ pole. With a half mile to go Big Brown still trailed the Da’Tara (38-1) and started to fade. In a monumental upset, Da’Tara won going, wire to wire.

For the beleaguered sport of horse racing, Big Brown not been able to etch his name in the record book, although he has brought glamorous attention to a sport that desperately needs it. This is especially important considering the tragedy of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby a little over a month ago.

One thing is for sure, though. The wait for a Triple Crown winner is 30 years and counting. No one knows how long it will take for the feat to repeat itself; which will make the next attempt that more compel