Tag: Belmont Stakes

Arcangelo wins Belmont, trainer becomes first female to win third leg of the Triple Crown

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Trainer Jena Antonucci, center, hoists up the August Belmont Trophy alongside jockey Javier Castellano, right, and owner Jon Ebbert, left, after their horse Arcangelo won the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. (AP News photo)

History was made at the 155th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, with the first female trainer to win the third leg of the Triple Crown.

National Treasure, whose trainer is the controversial Bob Baffert and won the Preakness Stakes, had an early lead in the race in Elmont, New York. National Treasure held a full length lead at one point, then Arcangelo trained by Jena Antonucci caught up alongside.

Arcangelo, who had 8-1 odds in the race, pulled ahead in the final stretch and comfortably claimed the victory. 

It was the first time that a horse with a woman trainer, Antonucci, 47, has won the race. 

“If you can’t find a seat at the table, make your own table,” she said. 

“Build your team and never give up.”

Antonucci broke through the glass ceiling in a sport dominated by a small number of trainers. 

“I want to thank you everyone for the opportunity. A dream come true,” said Castellano. “My first Belmont Stakes win.”

Arcangelo’s victory added to jockey Javier Castellano’s success. Castellano has won the Preakness Stakes two times and in May won his first Kentucky Derby riding Mage.

“I just believed in my horse, and the horse gives us that confidence,” said Jon Ebbert of Blue Rose Farm, which owns Arcangelo. “It’s a great team. We’re just the best together.”

Forte, who had 2-1 odds entering the race, came in second. Tapit Trice, who had 5-1 odds, finished third.

Baffert’s National Treasure wound up finishing sixth in the field of nine.

The Belmont Stakes is a 1 ½ mile race, which is the longest in the Triple Crown.

Here is the order of finish as well as the payouts for the top three:

1. Arcangelo $17.90, $7.20, $4.90

2. Forte x, $4.30, $3.30

3. Tapit Trice x, x, $4.10

154th Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal’s exciting victory a 5-2 favorite

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Mo Donegal (6), with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. up, crosses the finish line to win the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race on Sat Jun 10, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The Belmont Stakes favorite, Mo Donegal, won the 154th running of the race on Saturday evening with an official time of 2:28:28.

Mo Donegal entered as a 5-2 favorite, and initially trailed We The People, who entered at 7-2. We The People lead the pack for roughly the first mile but fell to fourth place. Mo Donegal was in the middle and Skippylongstocking was second and trying to take the lead. But Mo Donegal surged from fifth place to first to take the crown.

It was his Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s fourth time winning the Belmont Stakes. Pletcher won Belmont in 2007 with Rags to Riches, with Palace Malice in 2013 and with Tapwrit in 2017.

In addition to winning with Mo Donegal, Pletcher’s other trainee Nest came in second place.

Owner Mike Repole said “this is my Derby.”

“This has been a dream that I’ve had for 40 years,” said Repole. “This is the biggest goal I had in my racing life, and I just accomplished it, and I ran 1-2.”

The Belmont betting favorite has won the race more than 42% of the time in the history of the running.

“I’m always going to be Mike from Queens,” Repole said. “This is New York’s biggest race, and to win it here, with family, friends, I’m sort of overwhelmed.”

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike came in sixth place. Saturday was the first time that three different horses won the Triple Crown races in four straight years.

Here are the Belmont Stakes results and payouts:

1 – Mo Donegal WIN: $7.20 PLACE: $3.80 SHOW: $3.00 2 – Nest PLACE: $5.30 SHOW: $4.10 3 – Skippylongstocking SHOW: $5.60

Finishing order: 

  1. Mo Donegal
  2. Nest
  3. Skippylongstockin
  4. We the People
  5. Creative Minister
  6. Rich Strike
  7. Barber Road
  8. Golden Glider

Belmont Stakes: Essential Quality was the sure bet holds off runner up Hot Rod Charlie

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Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr crosses the finish line with winning horse Essential Quality to win the 128th Metropolitan horse race at the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park NY on Sat Jun 5, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The Belmont Stakes favorite, Essential Quality, won the 153rd running of the third and final leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday evening.

Essential Quality overtook the early leader, Hot Rod Charlie, in the final turn and held him off until the finish line and won the $1 million race.

“That was a long way around there a mile a half but it was exciting,” Cox said. “It looked like the horse on the inside, he still had run left. I knew it was going to be a battle down the line.”

Hot Rod Charlie finished second while the 146th Preakness Stakes champion, Rombauer, finished third.

Essential Quality gave his trainer Brad Cox his first Triple Crown victory. His jockey Luis Saez also won a Triple Crown race for the first time.

Saez said Belmont was his “second home” and that this was the race I wanted to win.”

Cox said that Saez “did a fantastic job of getting him in position turning for home and he was able to really show his stamina late.”

The race did not include Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, after the horse failed a drug test after the Derby. Medina Spirit’s trainer, Bob Baffert, has been suspended from the Derby for two years, it was announced on Wednesday. In addition, the New York Racing Association temporarily suspended Baffert from entering any races this month at the track that hosts the Belmont Stakes.

A limited crowd of 11,000 people attended the race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, and were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test.

Called the “Test of the Champion,” it is the oldest event in the Triple Crown and also the longest, at 1½ miles, or 12 furlongs.

Here is the 2021 Belmont Stakes finish order:

1 Essential Quality

2 Hot Rod Charlie

3 Rombauer

4 Known Agenda

5 Bourbonic

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2020 Belmont Stakes: 138 years of waiting is over Tiz the Law NY bred horse wins Belmont

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CNN.com still: It wasn’t even close as Tiz the Law wins by four lengths becoming the first New York bred to win the Belmont in 138 years

By Jessica Kwong

Tiz the Law made history at the 152nd Belmont Stakes on Saturday afternoon, as the first New York-bred horse to win on home turf in 138 years. The hometown boy was the 4-5 favorite and proved himself, winning with ease. Jockey Manny Franco, who competed in Belmont for the first time, could be heard screaming with joy.

The last New York-bred horse to win the Belmont Stakes was Forester in 1882.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law accelerated at the final turn and no one could catch up to him near the finish line. He completed the race in 1:46.53. Dr Post, trained by Todd Pletcher, came in second and Max Player, trained by Linda Rice, took third place.

Tiz the Law won by four lengths and paid $3.60 to win, $2.90 to place and $2.60 to show. Dr Post had 7-1 odds and paid $5.80 to place and $4.20 to show. Max Player had 14-1 odds and paid $5.20 to show. Ten horses competed.

The $1 million event took place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, without spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements.

Originally slated for June 6, the Belmont Stakes is traditionally the final leg of the Triple Crown. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it became the first of the three-race series, with the Kentucky Derby following on September 5 and the Preakness on October 3. It is a “backwards Triple Crown,” according to Jack Knowlton, who heads up the Sackatoga Stable partnership which owns Belmont Stakes.

Another change this year for the Belmont Stakes was its length. It is typically the longest race in the Triple Crown, but it was cut down from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/8 miles to account for the shorter time frame the 3-year-old horses had to build stamina.

Tiz the Law earned Tagg and owners Sackatoga Stable their first Belmont Stakes victory.

“What a win!” Sackatoga Stable tweeted. “We couldn’t have done this without the amazing Barclay Tagg, @robinsmullen [Tagg’s longtime assistant] & @jockeyfranco. Best team in horse racing.”

Tiz the Law’s father is Constitution and his grandfather is Tapit, who fathered three Belmont Stakes winners. Tiz the Law has had six career starts and just one loss. Next up for Tiz the Law is the Kentucky Derby in two-and-a-half months.

The Belmont Stakes finishing order is as follows:

1. Tiz the Law

2. Dr Post

3. Max Player

4. Pneumatic

5.Tap It to Win

6.Sole Volante

7. Modernist

8. Farmington Road

9. Fore Left Jungle Runner