2008 Belmont Stakes Overview

The 2008 Belmont Stakes was dominated by the prospect of the hot favourite, Big Brown, claiming the celebrated Triple Crown.

Big Brown fails at the final hurdle of the Triple Crown

The 1-4 bookmakers’ choice caused a huge flurry of excitement when he claimed both the elite Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with relative ease earlier in the season. The big bay failed at the final hurdle though and became one of the most unlikely horses to run in stone last, causing a major upset to the books!

Big Brown was the eleventh horse in history to win the first two legs of the coveted Triple Crown but he too has the dubious honour of becoming the only horse in history to finish last at Belmont after trying for the Crown!

Big Brown’s attempt for the Belmont Stakes was the first loss in his career. To date he has claimed 5 victories out of 5 starts but he ran out at Belmont with a slightly cracked hoof, a problem that may well have been one of the reasons for his dismal performance.

Rank outsider, Da’Tara wins the Belmont Stakes wire-to-wire

Long shot, Da’Tara’s incredible victory was largely overshadowed by Big Brown’s poor attempt at the Triple Crown. The 38-1 outsider confounded all critics by winning the race wire-to-wire, an achievement seldom emulated at the Belmont Stakes.

What made Da’Tara’s triumph even more remarkable is trainer, Nick Zito, only entered his charge in the race in the hope he would gain valuable experience for future showdowns on the track. Neither Zito, nor jockey, Alan Garcia, had any real expectations of Da’Tara finishing in the top five let alone claiming the title and the sumptuous $1 million purse!

Unpleasant racing conditions turn up the heat!

The race was run in extremely trying conditions with both the temperature and humidity reaching untenable levels at times. The 96 degree heat didn’t deter the race fans though who turned up in their thousands, hoping to catch a glimpse of the first horse since 1978 to claim the Triple Crown.

Although they were not to be treated to that particular spectacle, the over 94 000 hollering fans enjoyed Da’Tara’s dominance over the 1 and a half mile course that he completed in 2:29:65, well over 5 lengths clear of runner-up Denis of Cork. The third place was a dead heat between Anak Nakal and Ready’s Hero.