NEWS
Big Brown eased as Da' Tara denies Triple Crown bid
Posted: Saturday, June 07, 2008 7:01 PM
DA' TARA WINNING THE BELMONT STAKES
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
by Ed DeRosa
On a 96-degree day in which the plumbing failed at Belmont Park, it was appropriate that the Triple Crown drought extended another year as Big Brown failed to fire and was eased in the stretch with Robert LaPenta’s Da’ Tara stealing the race on the front end to give Racing Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito his second Belmont Stakes (G1) victory.
Da’ Tara led the field from gate to wire to win by 5 1/4 lengths in 2:29.65, the slowest time since 2002 when Sarava upset War Emblem’s bid in 2:29.72. He is the first gate-to-wire winner of the Belmont since Swale in 1984. Denis of Cork finished second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of dead heat third-place finishers Ready’s Echo and Anak Nakal.
Big Brown broke alertly but “slipped” a bit leaving the gate. Jockey Kent Desormeaux put his 0.25-to-1 favorite behind Da’ Tara heading into the first turn. Da’ Tara under Alan Garcia came over on Big Brown, and the dual classic winner checked a bit going past the first quarter in :23.82. Desormeaux moved Big Brown off the rail and was 1 1/2 lengths back of Da’ Tara on the backstretch with Tale of Ekati in second to his inside.
Da’ Tara continued to control the race through fractions of :48.30, 1:12.90, and 1:37.96. Desormeaux said he had no horse turning for home and began easing his mount in the stretch.
By the time the field straightened out in the lane, it was clear that no one was going to catch Da’ Tara. The performance was the worst by a Triple Crown hopeful among the 11 who have tried since Affirmed swept the series in 1978.
“He always breaks hard, and he slipped up front,” Desormeaux said. “He was keen to go on, and I got him in a good spot early. In the first turn I thought I was riding the winner.”
“Nick told me to go to lead and slow down the pace, and when the time comes, do what you have to do to get this horse home,” Garcia said.
“I told Alan, if you can get away then get away,” Zito said.
Despite the poor showing, Desormeaux's confidence in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner did not waiver.
“This is still the best horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s not lame; nothing was wrong,” Desormeaux said. “When I turned for home, I had no horse. I thought the race was playing into us, but when I asked Big Brown to engage, I had no horse. I was done.”
Desormeaux was aboard Real Quiet in that colt’s Triple Crown bid in 1998. He said that loss—by a nose to Victory Gallop—was more disheartening than this year’s Belmont because he does not feel any responsibility for Big Brown’s loss.
“I cannot imagine the freaks the 11 Triple Crown winners were,” Desormeaux said.
Da’ Tara paid $79 to win, $5 more than Birdstone paid to win in 2004 when that Zito trainee denied Smarty Jones the Triple Crown. Zito also finished third that year with Royal Assault, and the Zito trainee Anak Nakal was part of the dead heat third-place finish this year.
“The champ wasn’t himself today, but I said it a million times: I’m still going to play this game,” Zito said. “Both of my wins were equally surprising.”
Zito and LaPenta teaming to win the final leg of the Triple Crown is an appropriate coda on a Triple Crown season that began with all eyes on the duo’s champion two-year-old male War Pass.
After winning an allowance race, War Pass disappointed with a last-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) before running second to Tale of Ekati in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1). War Pass then missed the Triple Crown with a leg injury.
“We wish we were here with War Pass today, but Da’ Tara said he’d do it for him, and he did it very well,” LaPenta said. “Nick did just a phenomenal job here. This has been one of his favorite horses.”
Zito picked Da’ Tara out for LaPenta at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale. LaPenta went to $175,000 for the Tiznow colt, and while he sometimes pinhooks his yearling purchases, Da’ Tara was one horse Zito told LaPenta to keep.
WinStar bred Da’ Tara in Kentucky out of the winning Pirate’s Bounty mare Torchera. Da’ Tara has won two of eight starts and earned $664,067.
Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr., denied requests for interviews immediately after the race.
“Please, not now,” he said.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times
