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
