Racing: Big Brown failed in his bid to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to claim the American Triple Crown when he was reduced to a virtual walk in the Belmont Stakes in New York.
The runaway winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes was trying to become just the 12th horse to notch his name in US racing legend.
A total of 10 horses had won the first two races in the Classic trilogy since Affirmed but all had failed to add the Belmont, which is run over a gruelling mile and a half, a distance foreign to most top-class horses in the States.
In sweltering temperatures, the Rick Dutrow-trained Big Brown — racing with a slight quarter crack in his left front hoof — took a keen hold early on and was a spent force rounding the final turn where jockey Kent Desormeaux eased his mount dramatically.
Up front, long-time leader Da'Tara, trained by Nick Zito, kept up the gallop to readily beat Denis Of Cork in front of a crowd well in excess of 100,000.