Stunning a crowd of 94,476 under sunny skies on a sweltering day at Belmont Park, Da’Tara went right to the front and improved his position, going wire to wire in the 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, preventing Big Brown from becoming the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 and the 12th in history.

The Belmont Stakes highlighted a 13-race card that included five other graded stakes, including the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes, Acorn Stakes, and Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap.

On-track wagering on Belmont Stakes day races totaled $13,233,071 for the 13-race presentation, a 49.6 percent increase over $8,843,720 in 2007. An additional $507,776 was wagered on track on incoming simulcasts, making the total on-track handle $13,740,847, a 43.4 percent increase over $9,580,465 in 2007.

While today’s total on-track handle of $13,740,847 fell short of the record Belmont Stakes Day on-track handle of $14,461,402 in 2004 when Birdstone beat Smarty Jones to end his bid for the Triple Crown, it is the second highest on-track handle in the history of the Belmont Stakes.

Total all-sources handle, which includes money bet on Belmont Stakes Day races from simulcast outlets, was $99,858,202, a 32 percent increase over $75,657,986 in 2007.

Today’s all-sources handle of $99,850,202 fell short of the record Belmont Stakes Day all-sources handle of $114,968,346 in 2004.

Total betting interests for Belmont Stakes Day totaled 116, compared to 106 in 2007 and 123 in 2004.

“Today was a spectacular day of racing at Belmont Park,” said Charles E. Hayward, President and CEO of the New York Racing Association, Inc. “The outcome of the Belmont Stakes proves once again just how difficult it is to win the elusive Triple Crown.”