Underdog Dornoch, who is co-owned by a former Major League Baseball star, won Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, the final race in horse racing’s Triple Crown.
It already was going to be the most unusual Belmont. Traditionally, it’s always the final race in the Triple Crown. And that was true Saturday. But the race happened in Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. That’s a track in upstate New York three hours north of Belmont Park, which is undergoing $455 million renovation.
On Saturday, Saratoga was a shorter course than the one at Belmont Park, which is usually the longest race amongst the three majors. Instead, it was 1¼ mile, which made it the same length as the Kentucky Derby. Race organizers shortened it by a quarter mile until it returns to Belmont Park in 2026.
No one was thinking Dornoch, who is co-owned by Jayson Werth, a 15-year MLB vet. He was there at Saratoga to watch his horse win his first major race.
The Belmont featured two major winners and a runnerup. Of course, Mystik Danwon the Kentucky Derby in early May. Then Seize the Grey took home the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who is 88th, picked up his 15th win in a Triple Crown race. The Belmont was the first time in 11 years that winners of the Derby and Preakness were in the field.
Take another look at Dornoch’s wonderful run:
As it turned out, Dornoch was such a underdog that the last horse to win Belmont with higher odds was in 2011.
The race favorite was Sierra Leone, who lost to Mystik Dan by a nostril at the Derby. Odds makers had him at 8-5 before post time. Seize the Grey drew the No. 1 post position and was 5-1. So was Mindframe. Mystik Dan was 6-1.
Dornoch, with the 17-1 odds, paid out $37.40 to win, $17.60 to place and $8.10 to show. Mindframe was runnerup with payouts of $6.80 and $4.20. Sierra Leone finished third at $2.60.
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