I had a tip that Summer Bird was going to win the Belmont Stakes two days before the race… but did I bet? Considering I’m not currently on a flight to Europe to tour with my winnings, you can do the math. To my credit, though I didn’t bet on any horse during my Belmont trip, my picks finished 1-2-3. It just goes to show, if you have any idea of who will win, a five dollar bet can’t do you any harm.
Going off at 11-1 odds, Summer Bird was needlessly overlooked in the wagering for two reasons: one, his number of placement in the Kentucky Derby (6th), and two, Calvin Borel wasn’t riding him. The even-money odds on Mine That Bird weren’t reflective of a dominant horse like last year’s Big Brown, but a duo the nation has fallen head-over-heels in love with. Besides the underdog story that has followed the Bird and Borel at every turn, in the newspaper headlines and talk shows, there were several odds going against them in the Belmont the casual race-goer wasn’t factoring in.
One red flag went up when Calvin Borel, who’s been on a hot streak at Churchill Downs, didn’t have a mount the entire Belmont week; and the fact he hasn’t ever ridden in the Belmont Stakes before is another detractor. It’s safe to say the Louisiana boy entered the 1 ½-mile test a little naïve, and his move around the turn put Mine That Bird in the lead too early, a tactic trainer Chip Wooley must’ve been furious with the moment it developed. In a revealing interview on ESPN prior to the Belmont, Wooely said he figured out through the Bird’s disappointing runs at Sunland Park that the gelding only had one big run in him per race. That information, coupled with Calvin Borel’s own words that the horse didn’t even run for the first half of the Kentucky Derby, should’ve been a clue the gelding couldn’t sustain a victory if he began his move at the top of the daunting Belmont stretch. But even if Borel had kept him in hand longer, chances are the fresher Summer Bird was still going to beat him.
As for both Summer Bird and Dunkirk, taking the Preakness off made them fresher, and both were being ridden by familiar faces at Belmont Park. But if you were paying attention to the races on the Belmont undercard, the future was written in bold print that Summer Bird would be wearing carnations by the day’s end. After watchinig him win three races in a row that afternoon, I turned to another photographer and said, “Desormeaux is hot today. He’s going to win the Belmont.” Yet, nobody paid any attention to this fact or my prediction. No, I’m no soothsayer, but trends in racing are apparent: when a jockey is hot, his confidence builds, his mojo is working, and he is in the zone. It doesn’t happen every time, but more often than not, that same jock will win the big stakes that day if he’s been on that kind of high.
Besides, Desormeaux has been looking for redemption for some time now. There’s probably no jockey currently riding in America that was more thirsty to win a Belmont than he. This is, after all, the jockey who lost the Triple Crown by a dirty nose on the wire, the same jockey who met the retaliation of rabid fans last year when he ended his second Triple Crown attempt by pulling up Big Brown before the race was over. Clearly, Desormeaux has seen his faults and had been waiting for the chance to atone. At least, I hope this means he now knows how to win the Triple Crown should the opportunity ever present itself to him again.
After the Belmont was over, the news was littered with good and bad news. The bad news was that Dunkirk, who proved himself valiant by setting sizzling early fractions for the 1 ½-mile race and then came back for a second run to place, injured one of his hind legs and had to undergo surgery this week. We all knew his Unbridled’s Song blood would catch up to him eventually, didn’t we? Dunkirk’s connections hope to begin racing him again in the fall, where he will hopefully win a major stakes race for once, instead of finishing second or third. It’s unbelievable this talented gray has yet to win a stakes race.
The good news is that Summer Bird will return in the Haskell, and then in the Travers. The summer races at Saratoga are sure to be hot this year, what with the return of several Derby contenders like Musket Man and the newly-healed Quality Road, who would’ve been the Derby favorite had his quarter cracks not taken him out of contention. We will also be seeing plenty of Mine That Bird in the future, as he is a gelding, and isn’t going to be shipped off to any stud farm so long as he lives. The fan base Mine That Bird has built over these five weeks is invaluable, and they will be rewarded by following him through a long, and hopefully illustrious, career.
It’s been a roller-coaster five weeks over this Triple Crown, more so than usual, which says a lot for those who know racing. Not only will the colts and gelding be making their return in a couple months, but also the filly who is currently carving a legendary status for herself: Rachel Alexandra. Will Rachel be poised to race against those who didn’t make the Derby field, like the monstrous Quality Road, or will she chase after the shadow of the California Colossus, Zenyatta?
Whatever happens, I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: this year, it’s good to be a race fan.