Sir Winston's Belmont
10-1 outsider comes from behind to win the final leg of the US Triple Crown
Sir Winston held off the favourites by weaving through traffic from the inside rail to capture the 151st Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the US Triple Crown, yesterday morning (Singapore time).
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Sir Winston at one point was hard on the rail, but then made a wide move to the outside followed by a storming charge to the finish line. The winning time in the 2,400m feature at Belmont Park was 2 min 28.30sec.
Sir Winston, a 10-1 long shot, won for the third time in 10 career starts. He beat the pre-race favourite Tacitus, with Joevia third and Tax fourth.
"He is a nice horse and I let him do his thing. I am very happy," said Rosario.
The Belmont Stakes came five weeks after this year's controversial Kentucky Derby, which was won by Country House after Maximum Security became the first horse in history to be disqualified from the iconic American race.
Country House, a 65-1 underdog in the Derby, did not race in the Belmont due to a virus.
The win at Belmont Park capped a remarkable month for trainer Mark Casse, who had waited more than 30 years for his first win in a Triple Crown race before War Of Will powered to victory in the Preakness last month. War Of Will, one of the favourites in the Belmont, finished in ninth place.
"I said all week long that he was doing really well," a smiling Casse said after the race. "What can I say, it's just exciting."
- AFP, REUTERS
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