Palin Namesake Is No Dark Horse

NEW YORK (CBS) Horse racing's final Triple Crown event, The Belmont Stakes, is taking place this Saturday and one of the favorites - for second place - is a horse named "First Dude."

Yes, that's First Dude, as in the nickname of the former First Gentleman of Alaska Todd Palin, husband of Tea Party darling and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

A big, long-striding horse, the Preakness runner-up is owned by Don Dizney, who bred him. Dizney said he was inspired to name his horse after Sarah Palin's husband in the fall of 2008, when the campaign in which Sarah Palin was running for vice president on the GOP ticket was in full force. Names were due to be submitted to The Jockey Club when First Dude was just a yearling.

First Dude's dam is named -- appropriately, it seems -- "Run Sarah Run. "

According to ESPN, First Dude has won just once in seven starts but has finished second four times. Coincidence, and a big one at that.

He is trained by Dale Romans; his jockey is Ramon Dominguez; and he was installed as the 7-2 second (yes, once again "second") choice for the final leg of the Triple Crown.

What will First Dude's future hold at the races this weekend? When results do come in, looks like we won't have to second-guess.