Selection Update; Belmont Win

I’m surprised as anyone that DA’TARA won.  I’m not surprised BIG BROWN lost.

Sure, I can see why Da’Tara was able to pull-away down the stretch now that we can review the race.  I simply didn’t expect the mediocre fractions he set to be enough for him to maintain the lead.  Actually, I’m a bit shocked he was able to stay clear in the early going.

Had Big Brown been sent to the lead early, the race would have turned out much different, and we may have been talking about him as the next Triple Crown winner.

At the very least, Da’Tara wouldn’t have won.  But he did, so congratulations to Wayne Zito for training another Belmont Stakes’ winner.

I’m quite satisfied with Da’Tara being the Belmont Stakes champion.  Big Brown is a nice horse, but I didn’t think he deserved to be mentioned along side some of the sport’s all-time greats.

As for my selection, it wasn’t pretty, but I feel it is was the best option the pari-mutual wagering pool provided.  READY’S ECHO did as I expected, and came home for a piece of the money.

Depending on how you look at it, it was fortunate or unfortunate 3rd-place was ruled a dead-heat.  Had Ready’s Echo finished in the clear, his show-pool payout would have been quite a bit more than the $6.20 he returned.

But I’m not one to complain about a profit.  I’ll fore-go the prestige of selecting the out-right winner any day if it means I’m able to come out ahead in the long-run.

Here is an update on my season thus far.  Thanks to Ready’s Echo, I’m back in the black, and looking forward to some of the bigger races this summer.

(5/1/2008): $500.00
Kentucky Oaks: -$90.00
Kentucky Derby: -$104.00
Preakness Stakes: +$180.00
Belmont Stakes: +$93.00
Net Profit: +$79.00
Remaining Purse: $579.00

Tags: 2008 Belmont Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Big Brown, Da'Tara, Horse Racing Handicapping, Horse Racing Selections, Ready's Echo