Countdown to Triple Crown: Triple try alibis
By RICHARD ROSENBLATTBy RICHARD ROSENBLATT, AP Sports Writer?
?FILE - In this June 8, 1958, file photo, Tim Tam eats hay in a stall the day after the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Calumet Farm bay colt finished second to Cavan by 5 1/2 lengths after running the final quarter-mile with a broken bone in his right front ankle. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)
FILE - In this June 8, 1958, file photo, Tim Tam eats hay in a stall the day after the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Calumet Farm bay colt finished second to Cavan by 5 1/2 lengths after running the final quarter-mile with a broken bone in his right front ankle. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 13, 1962, file photo, Carry Back yawns in his stall at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. When jockey Johnny Sellers asked the horse for more on what should have been a thrilling stretch run to victory, the horse "spit the bit" _ a racing term meaning he simply didn't feel like running anymore, resulting in a seventh-place finish behind 65-1 long shot Sherluck. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this June 7, 1969, file photo, Arts and Letters and jockey Braulio Baeza, front, passes Majestic Prince and jockey Bill Hartack, left, to win the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Hartack was criticized by many for moving too late in the stretch in the loss to Arts and Letters. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this June 9, 1979, file photo, Coastal and jockey Ruben Hernandez, second from right, make the move to pass Spectacular Bid (5) and jockey Ron Franklin on the final turn during the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Spectacular Bid stepped on a safety pin in his stall the morning of the race and would later fade in the stretch under Franklin to finish in third. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)
FILE - In this June 7, 1997, file photo, Touch Gold and jockey Chris McCarron, bottom, pass Silver Charm and jockey Gary Stevens, top, and Free House, left, to win the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. With 75 yards to go, Touch Gold snuck up on Stevens, who only caught the horse out of the corner of his eye, and Silver Charm did not react until 10 jumps from the wire when it was already too late. As I'll Have Another prepares to attempt to win the Belmont Stakes in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years on Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Associated Press takes a look at some of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but came up short in the final leg of the Triple Crown, and how the race unfolded. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
There have been 30 horses who came into the Belmont Stakes with a chance to win the Triple Crown. Eleven succeeded in sweeping the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont, and 19 came up short in the final leg. While we're waiting to see how Triple Crown hopeful I'll Have Another fares in his bid Saturday, here's a look at some of those who just missed, and the alibis:
___
TIM TAM (1958)
The Calumet Farm bay colt finished second to Cavan by 5? lengths after running the final quarter-mile with a broken bone in his right front ankle.
___
CARRY BACK (1961)
A scrawny, unattractive little colt was poised to make another thrilling stretch run to victory, but when jockey Johnny Sellers asked for more, Carry Back "spit the bit" ? a racing term meaning he simply didn't feel like running anymore. He finished seventh behind 65-1 long shot Sherluck.
___
MAJESTIC PRINCE (1969)
The great jockey Bill Hartack was criticized by many for moving too late in the stretch in losing to Arts and Letters. It was Majestic Prince's first loss in 10 starts.
___
SPECTACULAR BID (1979)
Considered a cinch to give racing its fourth Triple Crown winner in the 1970s, the Bid stepped on a safety pin in his stall the morning of the race. He finished third behind Coastal after young jockey Ron Franklin gunned Bid to the lead and the colt faded in the stretch.
___
SILVER CHARM (1997)
After reeling in rival Free House with an eighth of a mile to go, Silver Charm was on his way to immortality. But with 75 yards to go, jockey Gary Stevens saw another horse out of the corner of his eye. It was Touch Gold, and Silver Charm didn't see him either until 10 jumps from the wire. By then, it was too late.
___
REAL QUIET (1998)
A year after trainer Bob Baffert had his heart broken by Silver Charm, another of his horses ? Real Quiet ? took a run at greatness. But jockey Kent Desormeaux was criticized for making his move too early, and by the time Real Quiet was a furlong from the finish at Belmont, he began staggering home. Victory Gallop, runner-up in the Derby and Preakness, was bearing down and the two hit the wire together. After several agonizing minutes, the photo went against Real Quiet.
___
CHARISMATIC (1999)
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas' Triple Crown quest ended with a quarter mile to go, when Charismatic fractured two bones in his left front leg but still finished third behind 29-1 long shot Lemon Drop Kid.
___
WAR EMBLEM (2002)
Baffert has had some tough luck chasing the Triple Crown and his front-running speedster was done in early ? he stumbled out of the starting gate and finished eighth behind 70-1 long shot Sarava.
___
SMARTY JONES (2004)
After fighting off strong challenges from Rock Hard Ten and Eddington along the backstretch, Smarty Jones and jockey Stewart Elliott opened a 3?-length lead into the stretch. But the early duels proved to be Smarty's undoing. He tired in the stretch and was caught in the final 70 yards by 36-1 long shot Birdstone.
___
Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/rosenblattap
Associated Press
miranda kerr adriana lima victoria secret angels fox 4 fox 4 vs fashion show 2011 victoria secret fashion show
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.