Belmont Stakes Betting

Another Belmont Stakes, another flop for a seemingly invincible winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

That’s the only way to describe it as Big Brown gave BetUS racebook fans a slap in the face by first not winning the Belmont Stakes, but then not even finishing in the top three. All of the signs were there for a big bust - - a quarter-crack going into the race which caused Big Brown to lose some training time, an overconfident Richard Dutrow, and the dreaded one hole that would require Big Brown to bounce out of the gate like a wolverine from its hole in the ground.

But the most telling sign was history. No horse had won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. That was thirty years. Only eleven horses have won the Triple Crown since the 1880’s. That means that Big Brown was going against the most important historical fact of all - - winning the Triple Crown is hard, as is horse race betting on the Triple Crown. It doesn’t matter what sort of horse or off track betting enthusiast you are or who your competition is, it’s hard.

The first Belmont in the United States was not the famous stakes race or even the man for whom it is named. Rather, the first Belmont was a race horse that arrived in California in 1853 from his breeding grounds of Franklin, Ohio.

The Belmont Stakes, however, is named after August Belmont, a financier who made quite a name and fortune for himself in New York politics and society. Obviously, Mr. Belmont was also quite involved in horse racing, and his imprint is even intertwined within the history of the Kentucky Derby.

The first running of the Belmont Stakes was in 1867 at Jerome Park, on, believe it or not, a Thursday.

In 1890, the Belmont was moved from Jerome Park to Morris Park, a mile and three-eighths track located a few miles east of what is now Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The Belmont was held at Morris Park until Belmont Park's opening in 1905.

The 2002 Belmont Stakes set the precedent for horse racing in New York with a record attendance of 103,222. Additional high attendance marks are: 85,818 in 1999 (Lemon Drop Kid denies Charismatic the Triple Crown); 82,694 in 1971 (Pass Catcher denies Canonero II the Triple Crown); and 80,162 in 1998 (Victory Gallop denies Real Quiet the Triple Crown).

The name Big Brown comes from the mega postal company UPS’ nickname, because co-owner Paul Pompa's trucking business has the company for a client. IEAH Stable also has ownership of the undefeated 2008 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown Favorite 3-year-old colt. The stable was formed in 2003 and is owned by Richard J. Schiavo and Michael Iavarone.

Big Brown is the son of Boundary, who sired 21 stakes winners including English and Irish champion Minardi, was a Grade 3 stakes winner and earner of $217,777. His dam Mien was a stakes winner as a three-year-old. Third dam Syrian Sea is a half sister to 1997 champion older female Hidden Lake.

In a 2007 Keeneland April two-year-olds in training sale, Big Brown was purchased for $190,000 by Pompa, Hidden Brook, agent. Big Brown's first career outing as his only 2-year-old start, he won by 11 1/4 lengths in a Saratoga maiden special weight race last year. Following the win, Pompa sold a 75% interest to IEAH Stables.

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In his second outing, he easily won an allowance race at Gulfstream by 12 3/4 lengths. That was followed by a win in the Florida Derby despite running greenly as a five-length winner.

The online horse wagering fans watched him become the first horse since 1915 to win the Derby after only three unbeaten lifetime starts, and only the second winner in history to break from post position 20 as he drew off to win by 4 3/4 lengths.

Two weeks later, he posted an easy 5 1/4 lengths win in the Preakness, making him 5-0 lifetime and poised to make history in the Belmont Stakes by becoming just the 12th Triple Crown winner. Not for a long time has betting on the Belmont gotten so much press.

Big Brown's sixth career start in the 11/2-mile Belmont Stakes will be the furthest distance he's been asked to run. A win would equal the record of Seattle Slew as the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. Seattle Slew was 9-0 after he won the Belmont.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who won his third Derby and second Preakness aboard Big Brown, will again be in the saddle at the Belmont for an online horse betting Triple Crown attempt in New York on June 7.

Desormeaux was born on Feb. 27, 1970 in Maurice, Louisiana and was elected to racing’s Hall of Fame in 2004. The Cajun-country native won his 4,000th race in the spring of 2001, at the age of 30, to become the third-youngest jockey to reach the milestone.

Big Brown is trained by the outspoken Richard Dutrow Jr. who began his career as an assistant to his father at age 16 before training horses on his own in the late 1990's.

Prior to Big Brown's Derby and Preakness wins, Dutrow's biggest victories were the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Saint Liam, 2005 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Silver Train and 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile with Kip Deville.

The grueling schedule of three races in 5 weeks at longer distances than most have run previously in their careers is the main reason winning the Triple Crown is so difficult. Affirmed was the last to win it in 1978.

There have been 43 horses who won two out of the three Triple Crown races but only 20 won the Derby and Preakness only to fail in the Belmont. Six of the 20 were in the last eleven years, so if you bet on horse racing based on ''dues'', Big Brown may be the one to do it.

Win, lose or draw, Big Brown will stand at Three Chimneys Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career as a stud to the ladies. BetUS horse odds have him favored to win the Triple Crown priced at -300.

Check the BetUS Locker Room for the latest info on Horse Racing, Big Brown the Triple Crown, Full Track Odds, Past Triple Crown Winners, and the 2008 Belmont Stakes

Main Course: 1 1/2 Miles
Last Turn to Finish on Main Track: 1,097 feet
Widener Turf Course: 1 5/16 Miles
Inner Turf Course: 1 3/16 Miles
Attendance Capacity: 85,000 - 90,000
Total Seating Capacity: 32,941

Belmont Park is home to the Belmont Stakes. Belmont Park is a 430-acre racetrack in Elmont, N.Y.

Belmont Park was originally opened in May, 1905 and it wasn't strictly for horse racing. It was also the site of aerial tournaments and shows, including the 1910 International Aviation Tournament, one of the top aviation events of the time.

In 1911 an anti-betting legislation was passed, closing track after track. Belmont was a victim of the legislation. It was closed for two years but reopened in 1913 – horse racing bettors have been wagering ever since.

The gracious race track that stands today has been renovated, actually rebuilt. First it was damaged by a fire in 1917, then structural defects in the grandstand closed it again from 1963 to 1968. Finally, on May 20, 1968 Belmont reopened, and it has been opened for racing since.