Dornoch, (6), with Luis Saez ahead, crossed the finish line ahead of Mindframe (10), with Irad Ortiz Jr. pulled away to win the 156th running of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Julie Jacobson/AP
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Julie Jacobson/AP
Coming off a surprising finish, Dornoch won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. In a stacked field, the odds are not in the horse’s favor at 17-1.
The victory gave jockey Luis Saez his second Belmont Stakes win and trainer Danny Gargan’s first.
Despite the colt’s recent poor start, Dornoch’s team are not ready to give up on him just yet.
“No one believes in this horse,” trainer Gargan told Fox Sports during the post-race broadcast. “Those last two races were throw-ins. I told Luis you should run the race, no one can beat you.”
In the Blue Grass race in April, the horse looked like the one to beat but finished fourth after losing to the other horse, Sierra Leone.
Next month at Kentucky DerbyThe horse started at a disadvantage when he won 1st place, finishing the mid-field race in 10th place.
“When I rode this horse to Saratoga last year, I told Danny he was a Derby winner,” Saez said. “Unfortunately, the Derby was a crazy race, but we had a good ride today.”
Before Saturday’s race, Sierra Leone, who finished second at this year’s Kentucky Derby, was favored to win, followed by Preakness winner Seize the Gray and Mindframe, according to Fan Duel Sportsbook odds.
The stakes have changed
The final leg of this year’s Triple Crown looks a little different.
First, the Belmont Stakes was moved to the Saratoga track, more than three hours north of its traditional location at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. nearly half a billion dollars in renovations and prepare to welcome horse racing back in 2026.
In addition, the amount is also larger, increasing from $1.5 million last year to $2 million. After the prize money is divided among the top finishers, the prize money is about 1.2 million USD will go to the first place winner.
The race is also a quarter-mile shorter. Typically the longest of the Triple Crown races at 1 1/2 miles, this year’s Belmont Stakes is the same distance as the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles, due to the shape of the track.
