2008 belmont stakes horses

Finley: Big Brown not great, yetEven should he win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, Big Brown will remain an enigma.
Gomez to ride Macho AgainMacho Again, the runner-up behind Big Brown in the Preakness, will be ridden by Garrett Gomez in the June 7 Belmont Stakes, it was announced Saturday by the colt's owners, the West Point Thoroughbreds syndicate.
Big Brown gets to New YorkWith cameras from eight television stations and several still photographers chronicling his every step, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Big Brown, arrived safely at Belmont Park at 2:25 p.m. on Monday.
Triple Crown bid fuels media frenzyThe CNN satellite truck parked alongside the main track Monday morning was the first sign. The hordes of television cameramen and still photographers who showed up here in the afternoon was the second. This Belmont Stakes could get crazy.
Paulick: We've been here beforeTrainers D. Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert talk about their attempts at Triple Crown greatness and what they think Big Brown's chances are.
Moran: Big Brown deliversBig Brown heads to New York with the racing world on a string.
Perfect ride by a 'Maryland jockey'It was just like the old days at Old Hilltop. Jockey Kent Desormeaux, aboard a huge favorite, was looking confidently behind him, then kicked away from an overmatched field, before virtually easing his mount to the wire.
Big Brown to stand at Three ChimneysKentucky Derby winner Big Brown will head for stud at Three Chimneys after his racing career, which the colt's owner, International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, has said will end with his 3-year-old season.
Beautiful weather, and beer, sweeten PreaknessThere are any number of things to do on the infield at Pimlico Race Course in the hours before the Preakness.
Big Brown given race-day blowoutAbout 13 hours before he was to run in Saturday's $1 million Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown blew out a quarter of a mile in 25.80 seconds at Pimlico.
Eight Belles negative for steroids; field clean, tooTest results showed no traces of steroids in the filly Eight Belles, who was euthanized moments after finishing second May 3 in the Kentucky Derby after breaking ankles in both of her front legs.
A lot is riding on Big BrownWhile the eyes of racing are squarely focused on Big Brown for the 133rd Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, the eyes of the sports world are squarely focused on horse racing.
Behindatthebar out of PreaknessBehindatthebar was scratched on Friday from Saturday's 133rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course because of a bruise in his left front foot, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Autopsy: Eight Belles had no pre-existing injuriesAn autopsy reveals that euthanized filly Eight Belles had no pre-existing bone abnormalities that caused her to break down after the Kentucky Derby.
Big Brown stud deal falls throughA multi-million-deal for Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's breeding rights that was expected to be announced this week has fallen through, according to the colt's majority owner.
Shaken, young star retains his focusThe same calm demeanor that 20-year-old Gabriel Saez displays on horseback has served him well during the 10 days since he rode the ill-fated Eight Belles to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Dutrow keeping Big Brown happyFor trainer Rick Dutrow, two weeks after a horse's last race normally means there are still three weeks or more before the next one. But this one's different.
Giant Moon works Preakness halfGiant Moon, winner of the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct in January, worked four furlongs in 47.77 seconds Tuesday morning over a fast Belmont Park main track.
Casino Drive spices up Belmont with Peter Pan winOh brother - and sister - did the Belmont Stakes just get a whole lot more interesting.
Yankee Bravo aims for Preakness upsetThe Paddy Gallagher trained Yankee Bravo will look to play spoiler to Big Brown's Triple Crown aspirations in the May 17 Preakness Stakes.
Dutrow has it all figured outBig Brown returned to training for the first time since his resounding victory in the 134th Kentucky Derby by doing little more than trotting once around the one-mile main track at Churchill Downs early Wednesday.
Eight Belles' trainer: Drug tests will dispel rumorsThe trainer of Eight Belles is certain the filly was never on steroids, and has ordered tests to prove it.
Trainer defends jockey's handling of Eight BellesThe trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles said Monday his jockey handled the horse properly during her second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.
Paulick: IEAH makes it look easyThe racing stable known as International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc. has come a long way from the Aqueduct inner track of December 2003 to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May of 2008.
Desormeaux becomes 8th jockey to win 3 DerbysKent Desormeaux made an expert ride aboard Big Brown, deftly guiding the big bay colt through the 20-horse field to a 4 3/4 -length victory in the Kentucky Derby that erased any doubts as to whether the Cajun kid still had it.
Celebrities horse around at Kentucky Derby partyCelebrities of all types came out to party on Kentucky Derby eve, putting the spotlight on Louisville the night before the world's best known horse race.
Wall Street makes a run for the moneyOn Saturday, an ownership group from New York will attempt to win the Derby with two horses they bought into for an estimated $8 million.
Moran: Swift track work for early Derby favorite Big BrownThe early favorite for the 134th Kentucky Derby, Big Brown, wasted no time on the track at Churchill Downs on Thursday.
Churchill Downs clings to dirt history as synthetics riseFrom horses to trainers to jockeys to bettors, the debate is vigorous on whether synthetic surfaces are the future of North American racing.
Derby owners a diverse groupThe best 3-year-old thoroughbreds show up each year at the Kentucky Derby, and they usually have been matched with the best trainers and the best jockeys. But each Derby brings with it a new mix of owners, whether it cost them $32,000 or $3.2 million.
Finley: Too much emphasis on Big Brown's inexperienceBig Brown is clearly the fastest, most talented horse among the 30 or so 3-year-olds vying for a spot in the Kentucky Derby field and he's coming off one of the most electrifying Derby preps ever run.