Split posts due to limits of allowed videos...
2009: Summer Bird paid $25.40 in a race that put trainer Tim Ice on center stage. He seemed to fade from the industry after a brief 9-year career and only 146 career wins. The horse had just four lifetime wins.
2008: Da' Tara was a 38-to-1 bomber, the longest shot on the board who wired the field. Trained by Nick Zito and ridden by a relatively young Alan Garcia. The winner finished his career with 11 losses and was just 2-for-19 lifetime. The race was best known for the unceremonious end of Big Brown's Triple Crown bid. Brown finished his career with two victories following this race and with seven wins in eight lifetime starts. Whatever happened in the race, stories have been told, accounts documented, Brown's chance for glory fizzled when the entire stage was there for his connections.
2007: Rags to Riches out-dueled Curlin and became the first filly to win the race since 1905. She paid $10.60 and was sired by the immensely gifted A.P. Indy. Perhaps the biggest shock of all was the priceless reaction of trainer Todd Pletcher who is normally stoic but showed uncommon emotion in winning a Triple Crown race.
2006: Jazil was ridden by 19-year-old Fernando Jara who took control of the race at the mile pole where he sat seventh and played catch me if you can with a powerful run from the outside. Jazil won just two races in 11 career starts.
2005: Afleet Alex was one of the most intriguing stories in racing history. Associated with a childhood cancer fundraiser, Alex had one of the most impressive stretch kicks in racing annals. Alex lost the Derby but had two of the most staggering tales in Triple Crown races including nearly falling to his knees in the Preakness and throwing jockey Jeremy Rose to the ground before recovering for victory. And then this stretch drive. He never raced again and finished 12 8-2-1. The little horse that could... and did! Relive that kick "Afleet Alex just blew by Giacomo like he was standing still!"
2004: Birdstone broke the hearts of many racing fans in front of a record-crowd of 120,139 and biggest TV audience in the history of the race. Even his jockey Edgar Prado and trainer Nick Zito apologized to racing fans after Smarty Jones -- known as America's horse -- failed in his glorious attempt at the Triple Crown. Tom Durkin, usually engaging, was dejected in his race call, too: "It’s been 26 years... Just one furlong away... They’re coming down to the finish... Can Smarty Jones hold on? ... Here comes Birdstone... Birdstone surges past..." Whether jockey Stewart Elliott was to blame or not for Smarty's loss, Birdstone shocked the masses at 36-to-1 and paid $74 to win. Prado won another Belmont Stakes, his second in three years. Birdstone won the Champagne prior and Travers Stakes later that year, he finished 5 4-0-0 in his career in New York and 4 1-0-0 elsewhere. Over $14 million was bet on the card at the track which established a record for the race. All-sources handle was over $96 million.
2003: Empire Maker prevented Funny Cide's attempt for the Triple Crown. Empire Maker hit the board in all eight starts and that included six graded stakes. Funny Cide was a New York-bred gelding, owned by locals, and a crowd of 101,562 showed despite the raw weather.
2002: Sarava was among the most unlikely Triple Crown race winners of all-time and at 70-to-1 stopped War Emblem's bid at winning the Triple Crown. Sarava outraced Medaglia d'Oro who went onto being one of the best sires in recent years. Ridden by the univerally liked Edgar Prado and trained by Kenny McPeek, the horse was later sent to Bob Baffert's stable and struggled the rest of his career by failing to hit the board with eight career starts. War Emblem stumbled badly at the start and never recovered. Attendance was 103,222 which set a track record that was later surpassed. Sarava won just three times in 17 starts and lost his last eight races. A successful $2 bet this day netted $142.50.
2001: Point Given was sent off the prohibitive favorite and decimated the field by over 12 lengths. It was the seventh largest margin of victory in this race's history. He was a highly touted 3-year-old who had all the characteristics of a truly great horse. Jockey Gary Stevens called him the best he ever rode. Point Given finished 13 9-3-0 and only his failure in the Kentucky Derby was a blemish to hitting the board in every start. He nearly earned over $4 million lifetime.
2000: Commendable was a surprise winner at 18-to-1. Runners up Aptitide and Unshaded were dead last through the mile and each rallied strongly but couldn't close in on the winner. He finished his career with two wins in 12 starts and finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby. His only other win was his maiden race at Del Mar. He benefited from a clean break by Pat Day and casually held his position to victory. Hall of Fame connections including legendary trainer Wayne Lukas who won this race for the fourth time in seven years. Lukas won a Triple Crown race for the 13th time.
And one last look...
1999: Charismatic was a claimer who almost won the Triple Crown. Truly a remarkable story one that would have been among the most compelling in racing annals had he been victorious. But perhaps most importantly as he crossed the finish line with a limp was Chris Antley's resolve to risk his own life by falling to the track and saving the horse from peril by elevating the equine athlete. That was an indelible mark. Antley, known affectionately as "The Ant Man" who was one of the best jocks in his period, lost a battle to demons that plagued him for a long time the following year. And that led to one of the most touching cartoon sketches in newspaper history with a drawn Charismatic placing a rose over Antley's head stone.
