Saturday June 7, 2008 was a day of broken hearts and broken toilets at Belmont Park . That's right, folks, just under 95,000 people in the park and the toilets stopped flushing. During a heat wave. Niiice.

I'm going to start carrying the emergency number of a port-o-potty company like Honey Bucket in my purse. Seriously.

However, I started my betting on Friday, with three races. Harbinger was my pick across the board in the 5 th , along with Chobe, and I boxed an exacta with them. Harbinger was full of zip, certainly not the most patient of horses. He was determined to win, and he did. Unfortunately, Chobe went a bit too wide on the second turn and only managed third, so there went my exacta. In the 9 th race, I looked at Nite Light and decided against him. I stuck with my original picks of Sightseeing and Evening Attire, both across the board. One can never tell how Evening Attire's going to do on any given day. At the age of ten, this gelding's earned the right to be a bit of a crotchety old man of the track. However, today, he obviously felt as suave as his name, and despite a moment of "what does that mean, again?" when the gates opened, he quickly threw himself into the mix and came in second. Sightseeing was a disappointing fourth, although he rallied after a bump early on. Friday just wasn't his day. The 10 th race, my other chosen betting race of the day, held Spark Candle, originally considered a possibility for the Belmont . However, he was entered here, and I think he's an interesting horse, so I bet on him. Well, it obviously wasn't his day either, because he came in last. He seemed to be doing fine all the way through, not doing anything flashy or stupid, but never had that final drive to overtake the others.

Belmont Stakes day was filled with anticipation, but to my surprise, there were as many naysayers as those convinced that no one could beat Big Brown. This is horse racing, people, anything can happen. And it usually does. The media didn't seem to get that, but the guy (and the gal) at the rail certainly did. The heat and humidity of the day definitely affected the horses, and it definitely affected the way my picks ran.

Race 1: Forest of Dreams was scratched and Commandeered looked hot and tired. I was left with Desert Key, who looked good. I briefly considered Basha's Moon, who I've liked before, and Tizbig, but passed. Desert Key was all I could have hoped, moving to the lead, refusing to get caught in a duel, and hanging on for the win. It was a hopeful start to the day.

Race 2: Tiz It was my one and only choice across the board, and he came in a respectable second. He had an uneasy trip, getting bumped, weaving in and out, dueling with Sixthirteen, but came in second. The winner, Sixthirteen, was a horse with whom I was not previously familiar, but he goes on my Watch List. In spite of the bump, he took control almost immediately, and refused to give way. He showed grit, guts, and intelligence, and had a wonderful pilot in Channing Hill. I want to see more of this horse. White Tie was forced to check hard and it affected him negatively; his jockey, Alan Garcia, requested an inquiry and it was ignored. That, in my opinion, was a poor decision by the stewards. Worry less about staying on schedule and more about whether someone needs a spanking.

Race 3: I had Smart Enuf across the board, and he came in third, so I got away with it. The winner, Piazza de Spagna had a burst of speed in the final turn and just powered past everyone. Lovely win on his part.

Race 4: This race was a prime example of how horses can look great in the paddock and then it all falls apart once the gates opened. My picks were Teide, Firejack, and Forefathers. Originally, I wanted to bet them 1-2-3, but in the end I was overly cautious and bet Teide and Forefathers across the board, with Firejack to show. Forefathers was the only horse who came through for me, winning after showing a lot of patience early on. Teide, who looked great up until the gates opened, was just a mess. He looked like a very inexperienced horse, and I hope he has a positive learning curve from this one. He trailed for so long I alternated between wondering if he was aware he was in a race or wondering if he was injured. He managed a lazy sixth. I'll try him in one more race, and if there's no improvement, he's off my list. Firejack wore himself out too quickly and came in last. I was upset by the way Unbridled Danger was forced into the gate. This horse was unusually upset and refused to go into the gate. Not only did he back-kick everything and everyone in sight, and his jockey dismount, he even kicked the gate. If I'd been his owner, I would have demanded his scratch at the gate. However, he was blindfolded and wrestled in by about six guys. He'd worn himself out in the pre-race fight, so there was really no point in forcing him on. He came in just ahead of Firejack. He should have been scratched at the gate for his bad behaviour and upset. Maybe he just needs more schooling, but maybe something was wrong and his people weren't listening. I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Race 5: My original picks were Too Tough Pete and Benny the Waiter, both of whom looked great. I switched them, though, with Benny in the win spot and Pete in the place spot. I stuck with Prince Dubai as my longshot show bet. And he was the only horse who did right by me, nipping that number three slot (kudos to Gyamati and Hill). The winner, Endless Circle , just wore all the other horses down; very impressive. Benny the Waiter seemed to be in perfect striking position, but wore out. Too Tough Pete used himself up too early in the race. They came in seventh and tenth, respectively.

Race 6 - True North Handicap: So much was going on here, I can barely read my notes. Thor's Echo was my original choice across the board. However, instead of boxing an exacta with Benny the Bull, Benny looked so good, I also placed a win bet on him. I've liked Suave Jazz before and won on him, but I didn't feel it was his day, so I passed. Man of Danger nearly wired the race, but Benny the Bull managed to steadily pick off horses and, literally, beat Man of Danger by a nose. Thor's Echo seemed like the only challenger to M of D before Benny started making his move. Edgar Prado showed his usual class. One of the mounted commentators tried to interview him after the win, but he waved her off in order to make sure Benny got immediate hydration and cooling. Saint Damon, who came in last, was pulled up during the race and vanned off, treated for heat exhaustion. Thanks to Edgar's quick attention, Benny most likely avoided a similar fate after his win.

Race 7 - Just a Game Stakes: I thought both Criminologist and Vacare looked good here, but Lady of Venice was my favorite. I passed on Sharp Susan. Criminologist and Vacare never fired. Lady of Venice worked her way to a steady second. The race was won by Ventura . She hadn't looked that great in the paddock, and it seemed as though she wore herself out early on, but then she got a second wind, and once she passed the other horses, just kept going.

Race 8 - The Acorn Stakes : One of the horses scratched, which meant I was left with three of the four remaining. I thought it would be Indian Blessing, Game Face, and Zaftig, but Zaftig looked so good that, at the last minute, I bet her across the board. Well, there was no show betting, since it was a four horse field, so "across the board" was all of win and place. Good thing I did, because she won. She stumbled coming out of the gate, which worried me, but she just worked her way up. She actually seemed happier once Johnny'd lost his whip, and they won with a nice hand ride. Indian Blessing was second, after trying to wire it. Game Face was third, but looked like she was in a different race from the others.

Race 9 - Woody Stephens: I got distracted, so I only bet Majestic Warrior to show. Since he came in fourth, looking like he was out for a Sunday stroll instead of in a Saturday stakes race, it didn't do me any good. The race was won nicely by J Be K.

Race 10 - Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap : I hoped Shakis would be good for some longshot money, but he looked beat by the heat, so I passed. I also passed on Shake the Bank. Something in his demeanor told me it wasn't his day. I stayed with Pays to Dream and the usually reliable Better Talk Now. Whereas Evening Attire had it together earlier in the day, Better Talk Now wasn't paying attention for the first mile of a mile and a fourth race. When he finally decided maybe to put some effort into it, it was too late. Pays to Dream managed a third, but was vanned off after the race with what was first thought to be heat exhaustion, but later diagnosed as a fractured sesamoid in his right front leg. That ends his racing career, although he may heal enough to become an event horse. This is especially sad news after his wonderful win on the Preakness undercard three weeks ago. The race was won by Dancing Forever, ridden by Rene Douglas, who looked like he was driving through one of those cone obstacle courses, only this time, instead of cones, it was horses in full stride.

Race 11 - The Belmont Stakes : This was the reason so many people put up with a day without sanitary facilities. They wanted be present as history was made, to see Big Brown win the Triple Crown, the first winner since Affirmed. History was made, but again, by a Nick Zito upset horse, although this one was not ridden by Edgar Prado.

Edgar Prado was scheduled to ride Casino Drive , a fascinating horse whose half brother (on his mother's side) to the past two Belmont winners, Rags to Riches and Jazil. However, early Saturday morning, Casino Drive was scratched with a bruised hoof. If you saw the horse, you knew he had to be scratched. The poor thing was pathetic - head drooping, not putting weight on the rear hoof, obviously in distress. He'll ship back to Japan to heal, and probably come back to the US for the Breeders' Cup. I hope so. I like this horse a lot, so I want to see him run.

Behindatthebar, once again, wasn't entered for a race in which he was rumored, and in which there was interest in him. I'm not going to believe he's entered anymore until I'm standing on the other side of the paddock rail staring at him.

So that left me without a place horse. I put Da'Tara in the place spot. I like this horse, and with Casino Drive out of it, Da'Tara, to me, seemed like the best shot to place, or to take on Big Brown if something went awry. I stuck with Tale of Ekati and Icabad Crane as my show picks, and passed on Ready's Echo.

I was alarmed when Big Brown entered the paddock. To me, it looked like he was placing his right rear hoof oddly. No one else seemed to notice, but he walked differently than I've seen him walk before, and that disturbed me. Also, when he'd been put in the detention barn earlier, he pitched a fit, bucking and kicking. No matter how everyone tried to shrug it off, this is out-of-character behavior with this horse. It could mean he was ready and raring to go. Or not.

As we now know, the answer was "not." There's still no good answer for why Big Brown didn't pull it off. He looked good in the post parade; he enjoyed the attention from the crowd and seemed to know it was for him. He was fine in the warm up. He was calm in the gate. To me, it looked as though he had a different idea of how the race should be run than his jockey, and there was a bit of a struggle going on. Looking at the replay several times, there was also a point, from one angle, where it looked to me like he got a glancing blow in the chest from another horse's hoof. Even a "glancing blow", however, can be painful.

Desmoreaux felt something was wrong and eased him. In spite of some of the grumbling bound to happen, it was a good call. He felt something was wrong with the horse and wasn't going to risk the horse. That was correct on several levels: Protecting the horse; protecting the investment of the owners; and making sure there wasn't another massive, soul-wrenching breakdown shown around the world, which would have dealt a near-death blow to the sport at this point. Dutrow believed that Big Brown's hoof injury was a non-issue. I would not want to have been in Desmoreaux's and Dutrow's places leading up to the Belmont for anything, in spite of the two glorious previous legs of the Triple Crown. The horse was already set to go to stud after the Belmont . If there was enough belief that the horse was sound enough to run, there was no way they were going to back out of making history. They would have been called cowards, called on the carpet for not thinking of the sport. And the same time, during the race, there was no way they were going to risk the horse any more than necessary. With so much at stake, in every sense of the word, what would I have done? Would I have been able to say, "No, if this horse needs wire sutures and an acrylic patch, in my opinion, not being a vet, he's not sound enough to run"? Would I have turned my back on history and the sport? The truth is that I don't know, I'm glad I wasn't in that position, and I don't see what else those two could have done.

And Da'Tara ran a spectacular race. The Belmont is the longest race most of these animals will ever run in their lives. Da'Tara not only won it, he wired it. He was in the lead from very shortly after the break - not the first second, but close enough. I hope we see more of this horse, and this wasn't his last race. Just the improvement from his last race is amazing. Tale of Ekati challenged him, but faded back to fifth. Denis of Cork did much better than I expected, coming in second. My poor little Icabad Crane never really had a chance today, and was second to last, finishing just ahead of the eased Big Brown. Ready's Echo, who I'd passed over, finished for third in a dead heat with Anak Natal. Not even the photo of the photo finish could declare which had the nostril over the line first, so they were in DH. Da'Tara was, by far, the best horse on the field that day.

Hey, guess what? Two more races after the Belmont .

Race 12: My Dream Tomorrow was scratched, and, honestly, I was still in too much turmoil from the Belmont to pick another one. Roll the Di won, which is surprising, because she looked like she was outrun early on. But she came back and snapped the win.

Race 13: I passed on Ferocious Won, who didn't seem particularly ferocious, and went with Law Enforcement for the win slot, but stuck with The Truffle Man for the show spot. Lost on both. Law Enforcement did well, coming in second, which didn't do me any good, and The Truffle Man enjoyed being mid-pack, forgetting he was supposed to emerge as a leader. He came in sixth out of seven.

For all the disappointment of not having a Triple Crown winner again, it was an exciting race and an engaging day. Again, the clamoring to spread more time between the races has started, and again I say: It's supposed to be difficult. If it was easy to nab all three races, the Triple Crown would lose all meaning. Maybe if the breeders would focus on stamina a little more, we'd get more horses who could do this, as well as fewer breakdowns.

So far, no one's been able to figure out what happened to Big Brown. The vets have yet to find anything wrong with him. It's entirely possible he had a bad day. For the first time in his life, he learned what it felt like to lose. And I'd bet (pun intended) that he didn't like it. He's smart enough to process all of it. A positive outcome is there's now talk of pointing him towards the Travers in Saratoga this summer instead of retiring him right away. I think that's a good thing.

The sport keeps saying that it wants to grow its audience. You can't grow the audience if the fans don't have the athletes to whom to connect. Retiring a horse after a half a dozen races means the turnover's too big, and the audience for a particular horse doesn't really get the chance to build. Get out your PR people - promote Better Talk Now, who's nine, and Evening Attire, who's ten. Look at the fan base John Henry built up - so much so, that, at age thirty, people were still making pilgrimages to visit him at Kentucky Horse Park . Again, it goes back to breeding - more emphasis needs to be put on stamina. Breeding rights are sold for big bucks early in the career, and then the focus is on protecting the money to make sure the horse breeds a lot, instead of giving the horse the best possible career and THEN negotiating the breeding contracts. Let horses develop into the best athletes they can be, let them grow into themselves, and then put them in the high profile races. Let the fans get to know the wonderful personalities and unique qualities each has. Fix the safety issues. Then, you'll build the sport.