NEW YORK — Union Rags picked up where I’ll Have Another left off — coming from behind to catch a Bob Baffert-trained horse at the finish in a Triple Crown race.
In Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, it was even a photo finish.
Union Rags rallied through an opening on the rail to edge Paynter by a neck, dealing Baffert a third loss in this year’s Triple Crown series.
I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with stirring stretch drives over Baffert’s Bodemeister. But the champion was scratched from the Belmont on Friday and retired due to a tendon injury, relinquishing a shot at a Triple Crown sweep.
His absence opened up the race for Union Rags, who finished a troubled seventh in the Derby.
A crowd of 85,811 cheered as Paynter and Union Rags battled down the stretch, and Union Rags barely caught the front-runner at the end to win by a neck.
Trained by Michael Matz, Union Rags skipped the Preakness and for the Belmont jockey John Velazquez replaced Julien Leparoux aboard the horse.
Union Rags was along the inside in the middle of the pack until it was time to make a move for the lead. Velazquez guided Union Rags to the inside of the front-running Paynter and relentlessly closed the gap and won by a neck.
Union Rags, the 5-2 second choice behind Dullahan, covered the 1½ miles in 2:30.42. The colt owned by Phyllis Wyeth returned $7.50, $4.20 and $3.40. Paynter paid $5.10 and $3.90. Atigun was third and paid $10.60.
Scratching I’ll Have Another was an “interesting” move by O’Neill. Somehow I am not so sure it was for the reason given. Retiring him was master genious, but who really will be so interested in this horse as a sire when he didn’t make the run for the triple crown and was scratched for a tendon that was not all that bad. Of course, I am not Doug nor am I the vet who checked out the injury.
Congratulations to Union Rags! From where I sat today—a lot of people skipped the Belmont, but it was an exciting day. Real race fans were out in force! The Belmont is the toughest of the triple crown races it separates the horses from the colts!
86,000 in attendance, how many did you expect there?
2002,2003,2004 more than 100,000 people attended all looking for a triple crown winner. Next question—Smarty “Jones”. just joking about the name—some did stay home due to the scratch of a possible triple crown winner