Big Brown is eased in the 2008 Belmont Stakes

Jockey Kent Desormeaux tapped Big Brown with his left-handed whip asking for the favorite to make his move, however, Big Brown did not respond and dropped back to 8th. Desormeaux eased Big Brown through the stretch, officially not finishing the distance although he did cross the finish. [p] He was fighting jockey Kent Desormeaux the entire way down the stretch, but showed no signs of being lame. Desormeaux said, "He was keen to go on early. He broke so hard. I got him out early and just cantered down the backside. A couple of times, he thought it was time to go and jumped into the bridle a couple of times. But I had no horse, and when I realized something was wrong, I knew he wouldn't be fifth. He's the best horse I've ever been on, so I took care of him." [p] Veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said, "If the quarter crack played any role, he would have shown some tenderness, although I guess it could be minor enough, he's a smart horse, might have decided it wasn't his day and he was not going to try. And you could say the same thing about the heat but I think we have to wait for his veterinary examination. The two minutes that he was on the track coming back, he looked fine, and there was not anything outwardly apparent."