It’s not every day a horse like Big Brown shows up to attract media attention; It’s been about 30 years, in fact. So why are horse racing fans clamoring to bet on him to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes? It’s really simple: Big Brown has won the first two jewels, he’s fast, he’s strong, he has excellent stamina and divine determination. But above all else, he has the heart of a champion: a Triple Crown champion.
When Big Brown stormed through the gates in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and stormed Churchill Downs to win by 4 3/4 lengths over second-place finisher Eight Belles, we all watched in awe. When he turned in a repeat performance in the 2008 Preakness Stakes, this time finishing 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Macho Again, we all stood up and cheered because we all knew this was a special moment.
Big Brown is big trouble, he’s the real deal.
And what if he has a crack in his hoof? (It has been repaired, and according to trainer Rick Dutrow, it is as good as new.) What will we do if Big Brown wins the 2008 Belmont Stakes? What will we do if he doesn’t?
The heavy favorite to win the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown must instinctively know that this next race will be his biggest.
The odds-on favorites to win the Belmont Stakes have gone 12 for 30 with the last five horses being beaten. The last favorite to win the Belmont Stakes was the last horse to win the Triple Crown, claimed in 1978. If Big Brown can win this one, he will become the 12th Triple Crown winner in American Thoroughbred racing history. .
Here is the list of Triple Crown contenders who won the first two jewels, but then lost the final jewel: the Belmont Stakes:
Minor hoof injuries aside, Big Brown’s big day should still be challenging.
Critics and punters say the field for horses competing in the Belmont Stakes is not as challenging as it has been in the past; that due to his great size and strength, a winning bet on Big Brown looks easy enough even for the novice handicapper.
But don’t be too quick to write off one of Big Brown’s main competitors: Casino Drive.
Casino Drive comes from the same mare (Better Than Honor) as the last two Belmont Stakes winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches, and he won the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles. track at Belmont Park in 1:47.87 and earned a Beyer speed figure of 101. With that kind of history, you’d think Casino Drive could make quick work of the 1 1/2-mile oval dirt track set in front of him in the upcoming Belmont Stakes.
Even with Big Brown kicking dirt in his face?
Jockey Kent Desmoreaux, the American Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the American record for most races won in a single year, will ride Big Brown again on race day, June 7 . Having won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes atop Big Brown, Desmoreaux knows what this special horse is capable of. Ironically, Desmoreaux was also the winning jockey who led Casino Drive to victory in the Peter Pan Stakes. However, Desmoreaux sticks to his decision when asked which is the better horse: Casino Drive or Big Brown.
“This is the best horse I’ve ever ridden,” Desmoreaux told reporters at a post-2008 Preakness Stakes press conference. “I said it.”
Watch and bet on Big Brown to go the distance to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown on Saturday, June 7. Post time is 6:30 pm EST on ABC.