142nd Running of the Belmont Stakes

142nd Running of the Belmont Stakes

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More then 45,000 were on hand as a field of 12 took the starting gate for the final jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown on a hot, sunny Saturday at Belmont Park.

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Drosselmeyer (left) had been an underachiever all year in finishing fourth, third and second in his last three starts.

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Drosselmeyer (center), a 3-year-old chestnut colt owned by WinStar Farm, is the son of Distorted Humor also gave jockey Mike Smith his first Belmont win in his 13th try.

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Drosselmeyer, with Mike Smith aboard, rallied to win the Belmont Stakes in 2:31.57.

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Fly Down, with John Velazquez on top, placed second. Preakness runner-up First Dude was third after setting the pace.

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Mike Smith won the race by keeping his long-striding colt in the clear. They eased to the outside for the run down the backstretch, keeping First Dude within range.

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Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott (right), the youngest trainer inducted into racing's Hall of Fame at the age of 45 in 1998, had been 0-for-13 in Triple Crown races.