Two-year-old season
In his first race, a 7-furlong maiden event on the main track at Belmont Park, Da' Tara lost to his stablemate, Anak Nakal, by a length, finishing second and beating the third place horse by a nose. Alan Garcia, who rode Da' Tara to victory in the 2008 Belmont Stakes, was also the jockey that day.
The colt failed to break his maiden as a two-year-old, finishing fourth in a Calder maiden race in December.
Three-year-old season
In January 2008, Da' Tara led all the way to win a nine-furlong maiden race at Gulfstream. He was entered in an allowance race shortly after and finished third, beaten by more than four lengths after dueling on the lead. Already based at Gulfstream Park, trainer Nick Zito decided to enter Da' Tara in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. The other entries included Zito's Fountain of Youth winner Cool Coal Man, South American Champion Tomcito, and Big Brown, who had won both of his two previous starts. Da' Tara finished ninth, 23½ lengths behind the winner, Big Brown.
Da' Tara ran in the Derby Trial, finishing fifth. In the Barbaro Stakes, at 8.5 furlongs, he finished second behind Roman Emperor.
In the June 7, 2008, Belmont Stakes, Da' Tara, the longest shot in the field at 38-1 odds, moved swiftly to the lead under Alan Garcia and led wire to wire, winning by 5.25 lengths over Dennis of Cork, with Anak Nakal and Ready's Echo dead-heating for third another three lengths in arrears. Previously undefeated and heavy favorite Big Brown pulled up in the race in his attempt to win the Triple Crown. [2] Da' Tara ($79) ran the 1 1/2 miles in the relatively slow time of 2:29.65 on a dirt track rated fast (with quarter-mile fractions of 23.82 seconds, 48.30, 1:12.90, 1:37.96, and 2:03.21). [3] [4] [5]
By winning the Belmont Stakes in 2008, Da' Tara became the first horse since Amberoid in 1966 to have won a leg of the Triple Crown and not belong to the sire line of the Darley Arabian. (He is of the Godolphin Arabian sire line).
Da' Tara did not win another race after the Belmont Stakes. [6] He was sold in November 2010 at the Keeneland stock sale in Lexington for $180,000 to Foye Genetics. [7] In March 2011, he was put back into training in Florida, [8] but never started in a race. In late 2011, Da' Tara was sold to Los Aguacates Stud, where he initially stood in Ocala, Florida, and was relocated to Carabobo, Venezuela, in December 2011. [9]
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of 1+1⁄2 miles. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The race, nicknamed The Test of the Champion, The Test of Champions and The Run for the Carnations, is the traditional third and final leg of the Triple Crown. It is usually held on the first or second Saturday in June, five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes. The 1973 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the track record of 2:24.
Bluegrass Cat is an American thoroughbred race horse. Although he won several major stakes races, he is best known for finishing second in both the 2006 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
The Pat Day Mile Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on dirt over a distance of one mile scheduled on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The current purse is $600,000.
Bernardini was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Preakness Stakes and Travers Stakes.
Go for Gin was an American thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the 1994 Kentucky Derby. He was sired by Cormorant out of the dam Never Knock. He was ridden in the Derby by Chris McCarron, who had previously won the race on Alysheba.
Rags to Riches is a retired champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2007 Belmont Stakes, the first filly to win it in over a century.
A P Valentine was a Grade I-winning Thoroughbred racehorse sired by A.P. Indy out of an Alydar mare, Twenty Eight Carat. His name was derived by splicing the beginning of his sire's name "A P" with the holiday that he was born on, "Valentine's Day".
English Channel was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire of turf horses in North America. In four years of racing, he competed in 23 races, winning 13, finishing second in four, and finishing third in one. His final victory came at the 2007 Breeders' Cup Turf, where he set a record for this race when he won by seven lengths. Following this race, he was retired to stud in Lexington, Kentucky.
Big Truck was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse. Sired by Hook and Ladder, he was a great-grandson of Northern Dancer, out of the mare Just A Ginny, a daughter of the 1994 Kentucky Derby winner, Go for Gin.
Commentator, is an American Thoroughbred race horse by the stallion Distorted Humor, sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. Like Funny Cide, Commentator is a New York-bred as well as a gelding. Distorted Humor also sired Hystericalady.
Big Brown is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes and was the 2008 Champion Three-Year-Old.
The 2008 Belmont Stakes was the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race was won by Da'Tara, who led the race wire to wire. Da'Tara went off at 38–1 odds, making the win a monumental upset. Entrants included the favorite, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Big Brown, but he eased on last place, a first for any Triple Crown hopeful. A win by Big Brown would have marked the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. Other entrants were Derby runners Denis of Cork, Tale of Ekati, and Anak Nakal; Preakness runner up Macho Again and third-place finisher Icabad Crane; and Peter Pan runner, Ready's Echo. The sire of Anak Nakal, Victory Gallop, is a Belmont winner, while Casino Drive has two Belmont-winning siblings.
Denis of Cork is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, graded stakes winner, and stallion. He is best known for his runner-up finish in the 2008 Belmont Stakes and third-place finish in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.
Drosselmeyer is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2010 Belmont Stakes and the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Soldat is a dark bay or brown colt by the sire War Front out of a Coronado’s Quest mare, Le Relais., and one of the contenders for the 2011 Kentucky Derby.
Shackleford is a chestnut Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2011 Preakness Stakes. He also finished second in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and won the Metropolitan Handicap and Clark Handicap in 2012.
Ruler on Ice is a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2011 Belmont Stakes. He was bred and foaled in Kentucky by Brandywine Farm in partnership with Liberation Farm on. He is a chestnut gelding sired by Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Roman Ruler out of the Saratoga Six-bred mare, Champagne Glow. The colt was consigned as lot 988 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling auction, where he was purchased by George and Lori Hall for $100,000. Ruler on Ice only won one minor race after winning the Belmont and was retired from racing in July 2014. He lives in Versailles, Kentucky at the farm of his owners.
Union Rags is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 Belmont Stakes. He also won the Champagne Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes
Nyquist is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby and 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, only the second horse to complete the Juvenile-Derby double. He became the eighth undefeated winner of the Kentucky Derby, and the first since Big Brown in 2008. He received the 2015 Eclipse Award for Champion Two-Year-Old. He is the second Kentucky Derby winner after Morvich to win the race while undefeated after winning Champion Two Year Old the year before, and then never winning again.
Mo Donegal is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2022 Belmont Stakes horse race. The horse is owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable.
