With an official time of 2:28.28, Mo Donegal became the 154th winner of the Belmont Stakes, concluding this year’s Triple Crown series of events.
“I think we just made a tactical error,” Trainer Eric Reed said when discussing Rich Strike.
2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike returned to Belmont but finished sixth. It was the first-time history that three different horses won the Triple Crown races in four straight years.
Trainer Todd Pletcher collected his fourth Belmont trophy, previously winning the event in 2007, 2013, and 2017. Saturday was a success for the Hall of Fame trainer, as his other trainee at Belmont, Nest, came in second place.
Horse owner Mike Repole told NBC Sports, “This is my Derby.”, whilst explaining how a lifelong dream had been achieved. “This has been a dream that I’ve had for 40 years. This is the biggest goal I had in my racing life, and I just accomplished it, and I ran 1-2.”
Repole, a local of New York City, had previously come close to making his dream a reality eleven years back. Emotions overcame him as he discussed the 2022 success.
“In 2011, I came in second with Stay Thirsty,” he commented. “I watched the replay 150 times. I will no longer watch that replay.”
Mo Donegal finished ahead of Nest and Skippylongstocking; this resulted in Todd Pletcher’s fourth career Belmont win and his sixth Triple Crown victory to date.
“The one thing I told Irad is, be patient,” Pletcher said when discussing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. “I think you have the best last quarter of any horse in the race.”
The Winning Betting Odds
Entering the race as the favorite, Mo Donegal‘s price tag of 5/2 was historically the best choice for bettors to add on their betting slips. The betting favorite had won the Belmont Stakes more than 42% of the time. In addition, Mo Donegal boasted more success in New York than any of his competitors, entering the race with a 3-event consecutive win streak in the Empire State.
BetRivers New York betting app became the safe and trustworthy choice for bettors as their 5/2 slips on Mo Donegal were instantly paid out upon his success.
Mo Donegal didn’t cash bettors’ tickets alone; his teammate Irad Ortiz also boasted a strong history when racing in New York City. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican jockey won the Belmont Stakes in 2016. Ortiz is an x3 Eclipse Award winner, and it’s a family affair, as brother Jose Ortiz won this year’s Preakness Stakes with Early Voting.
Triple Crown success was impossible this year, as no horses took part in all three legs. Mo Donegal placed fifth at the Kentucky Derby and rested for the final NYC event. For the most part, Donegal was in the middle of the pack, as We the People – the favorite from the morning odds – led most of the race. Mo Donegal pulled up from the fifth place and overtook the competition towards the end.
Belmont Stakes 2022 complete results
1st – Mo Donegal
2nd – Nest
3rd – Skippylongstockin
4th – We the People
5th – Creative Minister
6th – Rich Strike
7th – Barber Road
8th – Golden Glider
The Travers Stakes 2022
Early Voting, the successor of this year’s Preakness Stakes, didn’t compete in the eight-horse Belmont Stakes.
Trainer Chad Brown revealed their horse would avoid the Belmont with an added chance of competing in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse on August 27.
Rich Strike, the Kentucky Derby winner, is also pointing toward the $1.25 million Travers Stakes after placing sixth at the Belmont Stakes.
The incredible 80/1-priced upset during the Kentucky Derby catapulted Rich Strike into the spotlight. Although his efforts at Belmont couldn’t replicate his Derby success, Rich Strike will now focus on the one ¼ miles in the Travers, a distance that trainer Eric Reed said is ideal.
“We were going their win, lose or draw. We’re going to give him a little rest, and that’s a mile and a quarter, and there’ll be plenty of speed,” Reed commented. “The track will play to his liking, and we’ll run another bang-up race. I do not doubt that. We’ll give him three or four easy weeks and then start training him up to the Travers. He’ll train in Kentucky and train (at Saratoga) a little.”
Photo: Mo-Donegal The Belmont Stakes, NYRA, credit Chelsea Durand
