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Belmont will be 'Godzilla' vs. 'The Monster'


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Video
  Big Brown takes Preakness by a landslide
May 17: With an impressive late acceleration, Big Brown won the Preakness with ease.

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  Filly wins Preakness thriller
Rachel Alexandra holds off Derby winner Mine That Bird to become first female to win race since 1924.

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  Preakness Overhead Cam
May 16: Watch Rachel Alexandra hold off Mine That Bird on the overhead cam.

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The other runners from the Kentucky Derby will have had five weeks to recover from the strenuous 1¼-mile race prior to the Belmont while Big Brown will be making his third start in five weeks. But Desormeaux, at least, doesn’t believe that that edge will be enough to erase the eight-plus lengths that Big Brown conquered them by in the Run for the Roses.

At first blush, Big Brown’s prospects in the Belmont appear rosy. He finished strong in the Preakness even though he never felt Desormeaux’s whip. His pedigree (by Boundary, out of the Nureyev mare Mien) also has important stamina sources that will help him navigate the testing 1½ mile distance.

Coupled with his great natural cruising speed and the powerful acceleration that he used to spurt clear of his rivals at the top of the stretch in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, he’s going to be very tough to run down in the Belmont Stakes.

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But Desormeaux, who saw his Triple Crown bid evaporate in the last few strides before the wire in 1998, when Victory Gallop ran down Real Quiet, isn’t taking anything for granted. And his concern is focused on one horse: Casino Drive.

Horses that have won both Kentucky Derby and Preakness (x-won triple crown).

2008 — Big Brown
2004 — Smarty Jones
2003 — Funny Cide
2002 — War Emblem
1999 — Charismatic
1998 — Real Quiet
1997 — Silver Charm
1989 — Sunday Silence
1987 — Alysheba
1981 — Pleasant Colony
1979 — Spectacular Bid
1978 — x-Affirmed
1977 — x-Seattle Slew
1973 — x-Secretariat
1971 — Canonero II
1969 — Majestic Prince
1968 — Forward Pass
1966 — Kauai King
1964 — Northern Dancer
1961 — Carry Back
1958 — Tim Tam
1948 — x-Citation
1946 — x-Assault
1944 — Pensive
1943 — x-Count Fleet
1941 — x-Whirlaway
1937 — x-War Admiral
1936 — Bold Venture
1935 — x-Omaha
1932 — Burgoo King
1930 — x-Gallant Fox
1919 — x-Sir Barton

“He’s the only one who can even entertain Big Brown’s stride,” he said Saturday. “It’s going to be exciting. … (I) can’t wait to find out what happens.”

He is not alone. Virtually the entire racing world will be watching when the gates spring open for the Belmont Stakes, rooting for Big Brown to finish off the Triple Crown and give racing a much needed lift in the wake of the filly Eight Belles’ death in the Kentucky Derby.

A thrilling finish, with two horses battling through the stretch and Big Brown triumphing in a photo finish would  make an emphatic statement about what is good about racing, just as Eight Belles’ tragic breakdown highlighted some of its shortcomings.

Michael Iavarone, the head of Big Brown’s majority owner, IEAH Stables, was thinking along those lines after the Preakness.

“I think the issue with Eight Belles not only affected us but it affected the whole industry,” he said. “I think it’s important now for thoroughbred racing to come together as a whole when you have a horse like Big Brown with a chance to make history.”

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