38-1 lonshot DA'TARA has won the Belmont wire to wire by 5 1/4 lengths. A very rank BIG BROWN was eased into last out of the final turn.

Big Brown was in trouble early, chasing pace setter Da' Tara and running up that foes' behind before the first turn, with Tale of Ekati coming forward to leave Big Brown with no immediate way out. Kent Desormeaux steadied Big Brown and moved out from behind the pace, bumping Anak Nakal, only to next be kept as much as six-wide off the pace by Tale of Ekati as they went down the backstretch.

Da' Tara, piloted by Alan Garcia, opened up after the mile and Big Brown did not respond when Desormeaux asked to give chase. With three furlongs to go, the rest of the field ran up for contention, passing Big Brown, who was eased out as the rest of the field came to the top of the lane.

DENIS OF CORK was second, and there was a dead-heat for third between READY'S ECHO and ANAK NAKAL. MACHO AGAIN was fourth.

Of course, Da'Tara is trained by Nick Zito, who also upset Smarty Jones 2004 Triple Crown bid. Da' Tara is the son of Tiznow, a great horse, but not a Belmont Stakes winner.

Big Brown was not found to be injured or lame in any way. He was the most convincing Triple Crown contender we've had in a long time--he had devastating speed, and in his Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories he proved he could stalk the pace patiently, with plenty of run left to take over at the top of the stretch. How he got beat by a longshot horse he left 23 lengths behind in his impressive Florida Derby win is sure to be the subject of debate for years to come.

Big Brown running without the steroid winstrol for the first-time in the Belmont may fuel debates, but Dr. Larry Bramlage assures us the the steroid "keeps them eating, happy, and aggressive", which is how Big Brown has been without winstrol anyway.

Were we decieved before by performance-enhancing medication? I doubt it if winstrol is not in fact that type of an aid, and apparently it isn't. I hope Brownie runs without winstrol in his come back, and proves that the lack of it was not his problem on Belmont day. The minor quarter crack did not seem to be a problem, it was healing quickly and patched up. Touch Gold won the Belmont with a patched-up front foot in 1997, and his ailment was more severe--part of it was sliced off in the Preakness. (Horses have never been allowed to race with knives again.)

The final time for the 1 1/2 mile contest was 2:29.05 over a fast track--almost a full second slower than last year's Belmont Stakes.

Fractions: 23.82 (1/4) - 48.30 (1/2) - 1:12.90 (3/4) - 1:37.96 9Mile) - 2:03.21 (Mile and 1/4) - 2:29.05 (final)

The winner returned $79.00. The $2 Exacta paid $659.00.

How the final time compares to recent Belmont Stakes:

2007: won by Rags to Riches in 2:28.74

2006: won by Jazil in 2:27.86

2005: won by Afleet Alex in 2:28.75

2004: won by Birdstone in 2:27.50

Well, back to waiting for the next Triple Crown winner. I'm really disappointed for Brownie.

Tags: Bigbrown Belmontstakes Triplecrown

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