Bettors banking on a sure thing weren’t the only ones disappointed when thoroughbred Big Brown came in dead last in the Belmont Stakes last month. Parcel delivery giant United Parcel Service had signed a multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with the horse’s owners just before he won the Kentucky Derby in May.
After also winning The Preakness, Big Brown was heavily favored to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 30 years if he took the top place at the Belmont. This would have meant huge publicity for UPS, a.k.a. “Big Brown.”
(In case you didn’t know, the horse actually is named for the delivery service: His original owner runs a trucking firm in Brooklyn, NY; he named his horse Big Brown after renewing a major contract with UPS Freight.)
The Atlanta-based courier, which had mobilized its more than 400,000 employees to root for its namesake, reportedly had plans in place to capitalize on Big Brown’s big win if he captured horse racing’s famed trifecta. But sadly, this time Big Brown failed to deliver the goods.