Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

JUNE 12, 2008

by James Scully

Unlikely -- DA' TARA (Tiznow) was the longest shot on the board at

38-1, 13 points higher than the winless Guadalcanal (Graeme Hall), who had been

drilled in his two previous dirt starts. A January maiden winner, Da' Tara

finished a well-beaten third in a non-winners of two other than allowance in February;

ninth in the Florida Derby (G1), beaten 23 1/2 lengths; fifth in the Derby Trial

S.; and second in the five-horse Barbaro S., in which he gave up the lead in the

stretch of the 1 1/16-mile event. He had never earned a triple-digit BRIS Speed

rating. He was also the worst-looking horse on the track, washed out as he

headed to the starting gate under Alan Garcia. The Nick Zito runner took

advantage of the speed-favoring Belmont oval -- he was left all alone when Tale

of Ekati (Tale of the Cat) quit on the far turn -- but this outcome was as

unlikely as they come. The Kentucky-bred colt won convincingly by 5 1/4 lengths.

Disappointment -- When Big Brown came up empty, the air came out of

the balloon at Belmont Park. A quarter-crack -- which forced him to miss three

days of training -- disrupted his training routine, and I'm sure he hadn't done

any picture-posing with Hooters' girls prior to his previous races. He had never

earned a Speed rating better than 110, something Curlin (Smart Strike), Street

Sense, Bernardini, Afleet Alex, Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, Empire Maker, War

Emblem and Silver Charm had all done prior to the Belmont S. (G1), and obviously

didn't own the room for error that many felt he had. Big Brown was still much

faster than his rivals entering the race, but he was a lightly raced horse being

asked to do a whole lot over a short period of time.

Haunted -- I didn't think the ghosts of Real Quiet would be a factor, writing last week, "It's

difficult to imagine (Kent) Desormeaux making a mistake that would cost Big

Brown the race," but I was wrong. He messed with Big Brown from the start,

fighting him throughout the opening quarter-mile in an effort to subjugate him

to his own wishes. Why wouldn't he allow him to wallop the field wire-to-wire? It was tailor-made for the

speedy colt, who broke sharply, but Desormeaux refused to allow him to run.

Instead, he got all in his mouth, yanking Big

Brown's head sideways only one jump out of the gate. He

continued to fight him to the first turn. What a terrible ride

from a Hall of Famer. Big Brown was the perfect engine in the Kentucky Derby

(G1) and Preakness (G1), responding in a push-button manner to his jockey's

every wish, but he didn't bring the same demeanor to the Belmont. He may have

just spit the bit after being taken out of his game early in the race. One can claim that Big Brown didn't have it

entering the race, but there's no denying that Desormeaux frustrated him.

Hot -- It was a heat wave at Belmont, and nothing told the story like

Richard Dutrow. He was soaking wet. Perhaps heat stroke was the reason he

avoided the media afterward. Dutrow turned off many people with his boastful

antics during the Triple Crown. He slammed the competition, guaranteeing a

victory, and definitely talks the talk. It's unfortunate that he's such a

bad loser. When he did respond to the media, he pointed the finger at his

jockey. The public's criticism of Desormeaux is one thing, but it's a different

set of circumstances for Dutrow. Desormeaux's part of the Big Brown team. If

Dutrow was on your baseball team, he would blame the pitcher for the loss. In

football, it would be the quarterback's fault. Dutrow's no team player. It's one

thing to be a cocky winner and a gracious loser -- one can respect that.

Dutrow's behavior was below board.

Super -- BENNY THE BULL (Lucky Lionel) provided a bright spot on the

afternoon for IEAH and Dutrow. He ran a huge race in the True North H. (G2). The

five-year-old wasn't hooking the toughest company, but he had every right to

lose nonetheless. It was an inside speed bias, and the late-running horse left

himself plenty to do turning for home. He was also five wide, closing down the

worst part of the track in the stretch. Benny the Bull looked beat 20 yards from

the wire. He came with a dynamic late rush, finishing up six furlongs in 1:09,

to nail pacesetter Man of Danger (Tiger Ridge), who was receiving eight pounds

from the 123-pound highweight. Since winning the Frank J. De Francis Memorial

Dash (G1) in November, Benny the Bull has reeled off impressive victories in

the Sunshine Millions Sprint, Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) and True North. He's

clearly the best sprinter in the land.

Improving -- DANCING FOREVER (Rahy) is a late bloomer. He broke his

maiden in August 2006 in his third outing and needed seven more starts to win

an entry-level allowance. He dropped his next five starts versus non-winners of

two other than company. Patient Shug McGaughey finally tested stakes company with the

Phipps homebred last December, winning the Our Dear Peggy S. at Calder at 6-1.

Next came the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1), and despite being dismissed at 37-1, he

rallied boldly to miss by only a neck to Einstein (Brz) (Spend a

Buck). The five-year-old went on to easily capture the Elkhorn S. (G2) at

Keeneland, earning a 112 BRIS Speed rating, and closed strongly in Saturday's

Manhattan S. (G1), getting up by a nose to nip a sharp Out of Control (Brz)

(Vettori). Dancing Forever is developing into a major player in the turf

division.

Painful -- The bathrooms quit working on the first and second floors

of the grandstand by the middle of the afternoon, and frustrations ran high.

There was a line for guys to relieve themselves in the bushes along the fence in

the paddock area. It was a mess. I headed up to the third floor -- the only

floor in which the bathrooms were working -- and there were almost as many girls

as guys in the men's room. Belmont wasn't prepared for the heat.