RSSHorse racing -- Unlikely winner is another descendant of Seattle Slew
Yakima Herald-Republic
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YAKIMA -- Mickey and Karen Taylor had plenty of nerves Saturday morning after hearing Casino Drive was scratched from the Belmont Stakes.
The owners of the late Seattle Slew -- along with the oddsmakers and many of the pre-race pundits -- deemed his great-grandson the most likely to derail Big Brown's hopes for the first Triple Crown in 30 years. Instead, one of Seattle Slew's great-great-grandsons named
Da' Tara protected his legacy after concerns about Casino Drive's bruised left hind hoof ended his hopes.
"Slew still got even with him," said Mickey Taylor, who watched the race with his wife from their home in Ketchum, Idaho.
Yakima Valley natives, the couple still keep a house in Yakima and owned Seattle Slew until his death in 2002 from a neurological disease. Their horse, still the only one to never lose a race before winning the Triple Crown, drew comparisons to Big Brown who was 5-0 entering Saturday's final jewel.
What played out was similar to Taylor's prediction in an interview Friday. Big Brown just didn't have the stamina down the stretch of the mile-and-a-half race as 38-1 long shot Da' Tara went wire to wire for the 5-1/4 length victory.
The Triple Crown hopeful, the 1-4 favorite, ran most of the race in third and pulled up before finishing the longest of the three races in last. Afterwards, Big Brown jockey Kent Desormeaux told the Associated Press, "I had no horse," and the Taylors agreed with that assessment.
"He looked like a tired horse more than anything," said Taylor, who claimed Friday that Big Brown was bred to go six furlongs and would struggle in a race that is twice as long.
One thing the Taylors took solace in after Saturday's race is that the comparisons between Seattle Slew and Big Brown will stop. They understood much of the hype came from media members trying to draw a parallel because both horses were undefeated in their Triple Crown bids.
"When you start comparing this horse to Seattle Slew, that's like comparing a cherry to a watermelon," said Taylor, who pointed to the fact Seattle Slew ran more as a 2-year-old and won eight races compared to Big Brown's four entering the Belmont.
Both admitted they would like to see a Triple Crown winner again to join Seattle Slew and the other 10 horses to accomplish the feat. Thirty years have passed since Affirmed last accomplished the task in 1978, and the Taylors said they haven't seen a horse since that had the makings of Triple Crown champions from the 1970s -- Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed.
Karen said what separates the 19 Triple Crown also-rans from the champions does come down to the individual horse. There is always some adversity to overcome, and Big Brown didn't survive what horse people such as the Taylors call "Big Sandy," the nickname given to Belmont Park for its grueling conditions and distance.
"We want it to be a great horse," Karen Taylor said. "Slew was great and the other two Triple Crown winners in the 70s were outstanding horses.
"I haven't seen a horse like the other three since. When I see a horse like the other three, then I'll be like, 'Yeah, go for it.'"
