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Belmont Stakes 2022: Mo Donegal wins, beating We The People, Rich Strike
- Mo Donegal won the 154th Belmont Stakes
- We The People went into the race the favourite
- Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike was also among the favourites to win
Mo Donegal, ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr, won the August Belmont trophy in the 154th edition of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday in front of a crowd of 46,000 people on a cloudy day in Elmont, New York. The win marked Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s fourth Belmont Stakes win.
We The People entered the eight horse race as the favourite, with odds of 2/1, while Mo Donegal was second with odds of 5/2. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, meanwhile, was the third favourite with odds of 7/2.
Also read | Belmont Stakes 2022: Name history, records, traditions, other trivia
However, it was Mo Donegal who stole the show, completing the 1 1/2-mile track in 2 minutes, 28.28 seconds. Filly Nest, also trained by Pletcher, came second, giving the veteran trainer a 1-2 finish at the prestigious race. Donegal’s win marked the fourth consecutive year in which three different horses won the three Triple Crown races: the last it happened was from 1926 to 1929.
Skippylongstocking, meanwhile, came third, followed by We The People, who could not hold on to an early lead.
Also read | Why Triple Crown win is tough for racehorses
Mike Rapole, who co-owns both Donegal and Nest, was over the moon with the result, and told NBC, “This has been a dream I’ve had for 40 years. Honestly, this is the biggest goal I had in my racing life and I just accomplished it and I ran one-two.”
“This is New York’s race,” Rapole concluded.
Also read | Belmont Stakes 2022: Purse, prize money breakdown of the race
Rich Strike, who became the first horse since 1985 to sit out Preakness Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby, came sixth, much to the disappointment of fans who were expecting yet another upset on Saturday.
Early Voting, who won Preakness Stakes earlier this year, did not compete in the 154th Belmont Stakes.
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