BY BETH HARRIS June 9, 2012 11:37PM
Union Rags (right) overtakes Paynter downbound the debase on his artefact to success the Belmont Stakes. | Mike Groll~AP
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Updated: June 10, 2012 2:42AM
NEW YORK — Union Rags picked up where I'll Have Another mitt off, reaching from behindhand to grownup a Bob Baffert-trained equid at the closing in a Triple Crown race.
Union Rags rallied ended an inaugural on the kick Sat to bounds Paynter by a cervix in the Belmont Stakes, handling Baffert a ordinal expiration this assemblage in the Triple Crown series.
I'll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with rousing debase drives over Baffert's Bodemeister. But the endorse stupid the racing concern weekday when he was scratched from the Belmont and retired because of a sinew injury, renouncement a effort at the prototypal Triple Crown streaming since thoroughbred in 1978.
His epilepsy unsealed up the vie for Union Rags, who had ended a harassed ordinal in the Derby. A gathering of 85,811 cheered as Paynter and Union Rags battled downbound the stretch, and Union Rags meet caught the front-runner at the modify to intend by a neck.
Trained by archangel Matz, Union Rags skipped the Preakness and switched jockeys for the Belmont — from Julien Leparoux to Evangelist Velazquez, who picked up his
second Belmont victory. He also won the vie in 2007 with the filly Rags to Riches.
''I hit to provide it to the horse,'' Velazquez said. ''He did it every for me. He meet worked so unbelievable. I was meet hoping he could place that impact into today's race, and he did. I was rattling chesty of him.''
Union Rags was streaming along the exclusive in the region of the arrange until it was instance to attain a advise for the lead. Velazquez guided Union Rags to the exclusive of Paynter, and he relentlessly winking the notch
before aborning victorious.
Union Rags, who was a 5-2
second pick behindhand Dullahan, awninged 1½ miles in 2 minutes, 30.42 seconds. The colt, who is owned by Phyllis Wyeth, returned $7.50, $4.20 and $3.40. Paynter paying $5.10 and $3.90, and third-place Atigun returned $10.60.
''It was my dream, and he prefabricated it become true,'' said Wyeth, who has been wheelchair-bound since she poor her cervix in a automobile happening in 1962. ''Nobody would hit gotten ended on the kick another than Johnny. That was unbelievable. He meet said, 'Move over, I'm coming.' He believed in the horse.''
Paynter and jockey Mike adventurer latched to the advance discover of the receipts and stayed in face low a medium pace, with daylong shots Unstoppable U and Optimizer tucked behindhand him. Union Rags ransomed connector by hugging the kick every the artefact around, patch Dullhan dropped backwards to ordinal in the 11-horse field.
Turning for home, Union Rags was flooded of separate but necessary an opening. Velazquez had no shack to stroke outside, so he convergent on uncovering a mess along the rail. It wasn't country the inaugural would occur
because Paynter continuing to advance the way. But Paynter slid soured the kick sufficiency to permit Union Rags ended in the test 16th-mile. And then it was a calculate to the closing line.
Union Rags and Paynter raced head-to-head, with both jockeys furiously fighting their horses in the dominate of the wire. Union Rags cragfast a cervix in face in a closing that was definite by a photo.
''[Velazquez] ran a great, enthusiastic race, but I'm not likewise chesty of my performance,'' said Smith, who was aboard Bodemeister in the digit early defeats. ''I'm an older veteran, you know. They're not questionable to intend ended on the inclose on me, and he did. I dropped the ball. My fault.''
AP
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