A bad start finished Littles' colt Reverberate

BELMONT

NEW YORK -- Yesterday's Belmont Stakes couldn't have been much worse for Reverberate, owned by Centennial Farms, headed by Donald Little, and Don Little Jr., of Ipswich, Mass. The colt had a terrible start, and was quickly eliminated from contention, finishing 10th at 11-1.

The colt had run second in the Peter Pan, showing speed in a prep for the Belmont, and was thought to have an outside shot to win, but he broke in the air and then stumbled at the break. He was then steadied along the rail in the first turn. Game over.

''He got anxious in the gate, and wasn't ready when it opened," said Jose Santos, who rode him. ''He also must have been cut up from the bit, as he was choking on saliva and blood. Obviously, this wasn't even close to how he ran in the Peter Pan."

Trainer Sal Russo was equally upset.

''We lost all chance when he stumbled at the start," he said. ''Clearly, he needed to be closer to the pace. He also bit his tongue, and that didn't help. With those two things, we had no chance."

Classy finish

Even though Giacomo was a major disappointment, finishing seventh after getting his head in front approaching the quarter-pole, his trainer, John Shirreffs, remained classy to the end. ''[Jockey] Mike Smith said he started to make a lot of noise, and displaced his palate," he said. ''He was a little keyed-up today. He looks good now. He'll be OK. The Triple Crown has been great to us. It's been great for the owners [Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss], my wife [Dottie] and I, and everyone involved. We've all enjoyed it. We've had a wonderful time with Giacomo. Every stop we've made, everyone has been great to us. He's going to get a break now." . . . Trainer D. Wayne Lukas sent out a horse, A.P. Arrow, that had won only a maiden race. However, in that contest, run at Churchill Downs, he beat Nolan's Cat. A.P. Arrow did not disgrace Lukas, finishing fifth at 16-1 under Jerry Bailey. ''I was very pleased," said Lukas. ''He ran a good race against some very fine horses." Said Bailey, ''I was surprised at the quarter-pole by the move Afleet Alex made. That was very impressive. He's one very tough horse. As for my horse, he ran well. He did all he could."

'Cat' is quick

All week, publicists tried to determine if a maiden ever had won the Belmont. The records were incomplete, and the best that could be determined was that, at the least, it had not been done since 1900. Nolan's Cat, a maiden, was 13 3/4 lengths from winning, but he did surprise by rallying to run third. ''I had to take him wide at the top of the stretch," said his rider, Norberto Arroyo, who once competed at Suffolk Downs. ''I was real pleased with the way he ran," said trainer Dale Romans. ''He ran huge. He's the best maiden in the country." Limehouse took over turning for home under John Velazquez and resolutely held off chief rival Gygistar and Javier Castellano to capture the Grade II $250,000 Brooklyn Handicap. The race was marred by a disqualification that cost Funny Cide, the popular 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, any chance to win.