Throughout a long, hot day at the Belmont Park racetrack, he had been placing bet on long shot after long shot, only to groan in disappointment.

"I've gotten nothing but chalk today," the 42-year old man from northern New Jersey said. "My luck just has to get better."

I know for a fact that his luck didn't change with the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. He was going against his trend of the day, of betting long shots. He was going for the sure thing, a large bet on the overwhelming favorite, Big Brown.

The funny thing was, as things turned out, Big Brown turned out to be a big bust. The super horse met his kryptonite in the deep dirt of the 1.5-mile track that is the Triple Crown's third and final leg.

Not only did Big Brown disappoint the throng of 94,476 sweltering spectators in the 96-degree heat, he didn't place or show either.

He finished last, the first time ever for a horse with a shot at completing the Triple Crown.

The unfortunate humor in McMahon's situation was the horse that won — Da'Tara — went off as the longest shot, at 38-1.

Guess what intrepid reporter thought about placing that bet 15 minutes before the race, but stood like an idiot staring at the betting window and never approached? You win the cookie. I bet I listen to my inner voice from now on.

Perhaps now McMahon is ruing words he had spoken three hours earlier, when he sounded confident, bordering on cocky.

Those words turned out to be more prophetic than he ever dreamed.

"This horse can't lose," McMahon said of Big Brown. "He can't lose. The only thing that can beat Big Brown is that he ran three races in five weeks and he gets tired.

"Otherwise, he's going to win - but I don't know by how many [lengths]."

I hope McMahon didn't jump off the top of the grandstand.

Most of the throng probably felt some type of disappointment, in that yet again, a sure bet came up short for the 11th consecutive time.

At post time, Big Brown was a 1-4 odds-on favorite to win the race, the largest choice since Spectacular Bid went off at 3-10 in 1979.

But before the shocking finish, the day had been one of excitement, revelry and celebration. People flocked from all over the country to what had to be the epicenter of sports — at least for this day.

And New York did it right - with the exception of the bathrooms, where water problems left waiting lines of 50 people deep.

But even that glitch couldn't damper the spirits. Outside the grandstand was a carnival-like atmosphere, consisting of picnics, bands, food courts, souvenir booths and wide-screen televisions for everyone to see the 10 races preceding the main event.

Many wore t-shirts in support of Big Brown. One set of Brown tees gave the simple message, "BIG," in bright pink letters while another read, "I Bleed Brown," with a picture of the horse and jockey Kent Desormeaux just beneath it.

One intrepid soul, promoting not only her support for the horse but her upcoming childbirth, had the message, "Big Bellies for Big Brown."

Most were there because of Big Brown's shot at racing immortality, some for the love of racing, others for the fun the day offered.

There were veteran race-goers and there were the first-time individuals. Then, there were those there just looking for a good time.

Pat Badley, a 61-year old construction worker from Little Rock, Ark., had taken the day off for his first trip to the event: "This is a big day for New York, and if big Brown does win, it will be even bigger." Badley was not alone in expressing his excitement.

"This is my first time ever at a race," Badley said. "I'm up here taking a class in construction work here in Long Island.

"This is my first year here," said Jeremy Murley of Reading, Pa. "I came for the crowd, and a chance to see a possible Triple Crown winner."

Murley admitted he probably wouldn't have made the trek, had there not been a Triple Crown candidate. "But I've been to the Preakness a number of times," he said.

So too had Colleen Ferrard and Patty Ferguson, both from Philadelphia, who sported large crowns with three jewels, symbolic of the Triple Crown.

"It's our first time here, Ferrard said, as she and Ferguson swayed to the music of the band playing behind them on the grounds outside the park.

"We went to the [Kentucky] Derby this year and saw Big Brown," Ferrard said. Then we went to the Preakness ... We love Big Brown."

But even though they followed Big Brown all the way to New York, the festivities on the grounds captured their imagination, as well as a majority of the throng.

"It's exciting," Ferguson said, "It's a fun day."

Murley continued his comparison of the Preakness to Belmont.

"They're like the biggest parties, ever, man," Murley said. "At the Preakness, there's over 100,000 people in the infield - a real crazy party - kind of like this.

Murley said the only drawback was the Preakness allowed you to bring beer into the facility. Belmont won't. "Here they make you buy the beer," Murley deadpanned.

While the revelers partied outside the grounds, the gamblers continued to check and re-check their sheets.

"I've been coming here for 20 years," said a man who only wanted to be referred to as "Jackson," from Schenectady, N.Y. "I don't really need a reason to come here - I just like horse racing."

Others, like Kevin Dougherty of Northern New Jersey gave similar opinions. "I would have been here, even if Big Brown wasn't," Dougherty said. "I like the atmosphere here. But I would like to see someone win the Triple Crown for the first time in 30 years."

But it just didn't happen. And when the dust had settled, and the shock of yet another Triple Crown disappointment set in, the floor of the grandstand was littered with thousands of useless "Win - 1" betting tickets, obtained in hopes of a souvenir of a Big Brown victory, since a payout would be very minimal.

As fans made their way to the parking lot, my eyes settled on a trio of tickets on the floor where I had interviewed McMahon.

"You see those three tickets?," he had asked me. "That's where we [McMahon and two friends] all meet every year at this time, right under the escalator.

"We do it once a week during the summer, and always when there is a Triple Crown possibility at the Belmont."

So one first day in June sometime down the road when there's another big stallion trying to make it an even-dozen triple crown winners, he and his buddies will gather again at the same spot. Unlike Big Brown, their quest for the world's biggest three-peat will continue.