Belmont Stakes … Can Anything Stand in the Way of a Big Brown Win and The Triple Crown? (UPDATE: Big Brown … BIG USPET … Big Brown Loses)

Big Brown poised for horse racing Triple Crown history. Big Brown has been nothing short of awesome in the first two jewels of the Triple Crown. Big Brown cruised to an easy win in the Kentucky Derby and a romp in the Preakness Stakes.

Now Big Brown is one win away in today’s 140th Belmont Stakes from horse racing history and immortality. With virtually no competition, Big Brown is a win away from winning The Triple Crown, a feat that has not been accomplished in 30 years. What stands in the way of Big Brown’s win at the Belmont? Could the cracked hoof cause a problem? It would appear the hoof has been patched and Big Brown is ready to run. The only real competition that Big Brown had was Casino Drive. However, Casino Drive was scratched this morning was scratched due to a bruise in his left hind foot.

Nothing has changed trainer Rick Dutrow’s Jr’s mind that the strapping bay colt will celebrate in the winner’s circle at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday and win the first Triple Crown in 30 years. “He’s just the coolest horse that ever lived,” Dutrow said. It’s been 30 years since Affirmed swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont to become horse racing’s 11th Triple Crown winner. The drought has left the sport starved to anoint a savior. Three times this decade a horse won the first two legs of the series only to get tripped up in the Belmont. Triple Crown Brown has a nice ring to it and the nickname could be his by nightfall.

Ok, if the race needs to drama maybe it will only come from one of Big Brown’s sponsors, Hooters, being sidelined. The NYRS nixed the Hooters deal. Talk about a true celebrity, Big Brown poses with the Hooters girls. The NYRS obviously has no sense of humor and take themselves a bit too seriously. We shall wait and see if Big Brown can make history later this afternoon at The Belmont.

UPDATE I: Shocker at the Belmont … BIG BROWN … BIG UPSET!!!

There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. What happened to Big Brown? It did not even look like the same horse that ran in the Derby and Preakness.

The elusive Triple Crown is just that … elusive. What was supposed to be as close to a sure thing as one in the horse racing industry could bank on, turned out to be just the opposite. Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner BIG BROWN comes in last in the Belmont and fails to win the Triple Crown.

UPDATE II: Belmont Park … Triple Crown winner … NOT SO FAST!!!

Big Brown failed in his bid to become horse racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner when he finished dead last to Da’ Tara in the Belmont Stakes.

Da’ Tara went wire to wire to beat eight other thoroughbreds over 1½ miles, the longest and toughest of the three classics.

“I had no horse,” said Big Brown’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux.

Big Brown went from potential Triple Crown winner to finishing dead last in a matter of minutes. The handling of this horse prior to race day will be debated for years to come. Any novice watching the race saw that the same horse was not present in the Belmont that thundered to impressive wins in the Derby and Preakness. So what was the difference?

Dutrow was second-guessed all week about his handling of a quarter crack in Big Brown’s left front hoof, which surfaced after the Preakness and wasn’t patched until Friday. He also came under scrutiny after admitting using legal steroids on Big Brown, even though the colt’s last dose was in April.

Big Brown was rank at the start and failed to respond when Desormeaux asked him to run in the last turn. At that point, Desormeaux eased him up.

The loss hit Desormeaux especially hard.

“This horse is the best I’ve ever ridden,” he said. “Something’s wrong, and I took care of him.”