Monthly Archives: June 2013

The third and final leg of the Triple Crown is in the books – yes, the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes went off without a hitch, and one of the best trainers in the game finally got his big win of the season.

Palace Malice captured the Belmont by finishing the 1 1/2-mile track in two minutes, 30.70 seconds. One of the five horses run by trainer extraordinaire Todd Pletcher, Palace Malice held off strong charges from Preakness winner Oxbow and Derby winner Orb to win in style.

Pletcher’s jockey, Mike Smith, captured his second-ever victory at Belmont. In 2010, he guided Drosselmeyer to a first-place finish.

Smith said Palace Malice enjoyed the entirety of the 2013 race and looked incredibly strong coming down the home stretch. It was a big result for a horse that hadn’t exactly been lighting it up in Triple Crown races – he finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby and didn’t even run in the Preakness, instead opting to rest up for the Belmont.

The son of Curlin, Palace Malice’s lone highlight of the Triple Crown season came at the Derby. He got off to an amazing, blazing start – one that wowed onlookers for its sheer speed, but ultimately proved a letdown as the horse was unable to keep up the pace.

Prior to Palace’s heroics at the Belmont, it was Oxbow who looked like he was in the best shape. Oxbow took the lead with a half mile to go, but got tired while turning for the home stretch, according to jockey Joel Rosario.

As for Orb and Hall-of-Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, the Belmont proved to be a disappointing day. McGaughey had high hopes for Orb to capture a second jewel in the Crown – Orb won the Derby earlier this spring – but it simply didn’t come together at Belmont, even with a fairly solid third-place finish.

McGaughey said he was “disappointed in third” and noted that Orb probably fell too far back to start the race and simply wasn’t able to rally. The longtime trainer said he was impressed with Orb’s ability to make a good run around the turn, but lamented the horse’s inability to keep up that pace.

Notes…

— This year’s Belmont attendance was 47,562, a noticeable dropoff from last year’s massive crowd of 85,811. The reason for the big decline? Last year, I’ll Have Another was in line to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. However after wins in the Derby and Preakness, the horse was forced to withdraw from the Belmont due to an injury.

— Rosie Napravnik became the first female jockey ever to run all three Triple Crown races in the same season. She finished sixth at the Belmont while saddling Unlimited Budget.

Here’s your final order of finish for the 2013 Belmont Stakes:

1. Palace Malice
2. Oxbow
3. Orb
4. Incognito
5. Revolutionary
6. Unlimited Budget
7. Overanalyze
8. Vyjack
9. Golden Soul
10. Will Take Charge
11. Giant Finish
12. Midnight Taboo
13. Freedom Child
14. Frac Daddy

Some news and notes to pass your way as the big race draws near.

Orb’s a Go

While there was no question that Orb – this year’s Kentucky Derby winner – was going to run in the field at Belmont, there was some question about his form following a disappointing finish at the Preakness.

Well, no worries says trainer Shug McGaughey.

McGaughey, a horseracing Hall of Famer, worked out Orb extensively this week. The horse worked four furlongs in 48.30 and galloped the five in 1:00.48, raising eyebrows from onlookers.

Orb will be in a direct staredown with Preakess winner Oxbow for the “rubber match” race at Belmont. The winner will have captured two of the three Triple Crown races for the season and culminate what would be one of the most successful individual performances we’ve seen in quite some time.

That said, McGaughey knows Orb will have to raise his game at Belmont. Oxbow beat him by nine lengths.

Frac Daddy may Run

An intriguing horse out of Billings, Montana may run in the Belmont, according to his owner.

Frac Daddy – owned by Billings native Carter Stewart – said he and his crew are “leaning toward” running the three-year-old gray thoroughbred in the $1 million race.

Frac Daddy, a Kentucky-bred horse, ran at the Derby and came into the race as a 25-1 longshot. He started well, but eventually faded to the back and finished 16th.

Since then, the horse has looked good, and drew a lot of whistles and admiration during a mid-week run in which he paced a half-mile drill in 47.80 seconds at Churchill Downs.

“He’s training as well as I’ve ever seen,” said trainer Ken McPee.

Giant Finish will Run

Giant Finish is on his way to New York, trainer Tony Dutrow confirmed this week.

Giant Finish, owned by Andrew Cohen’s Sunrise Stables, finished 10th at the Kentucky Derby but did show solid prior to that, placing at the John Battaglia Memorial and Grade 3 Spiral at Turfway in March.

The ownership group wants to see what they have in Giant Finish, and are essentially throwing him into the Belmont on a hunch more than anything else. Dutrow has been a straight-shooter when it comes to Giant Finish’s pedigree, saying he’s an unremarkable horse that tries his best, and is a straightforward runner.

Always in a Tiz continues to put in work

Nobody’s quite sure what to make of Always in a Tiz.

The horse made major noise near the tail-end of 2012, finishing first at the MSW at Saratoga, second at Traskwood at the Aqueduct and third at the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn.

Since then, though, not much of anything.

“Tiz” did work out this week and worked out well, running five furlongs in 1:01.86. That said, many in attendance noted that jockey David Cohen appeared to let Always in a Tiz breeze an additional 1/8 of a mile after the finish line, then gallop to the clubhouse turn.

The times were good, but for a horse that hasn’t raced in two months or worked in five weeks, many were wondering if there could be an injury or fitness issue at play.