Mo Donegal was the first to cross the finish line in the 154th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, beating We The People and Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike to the August Belmont in front of 46,000 people in Elmont, New York.

Going into the race, Mo Donegal had a career record of 6 starts, 3 wins, 0 seconds, and 2 thirds. Despite We The People being tipped as the favourite initially, Mo Donegal entered the gate the betting favourite, and repaid his backers by finishing the 1 1/2-mile track in 2 minutes, 28.28 seconds, ahead of filly Nest, who finished second.

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Owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable, Mo Donegal is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who secured the fourth Belmont Stakes victory of his career after the win on Saturday. Puerto Rican jockey Irad Ortiz Jr, who had earlier won the 2016 edition of Belmont Stakes with a horse named Creator, jockeyed Mo Donegal.

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The win saw Mo Donegal take home the first place prize money of $800,000, a significant addition to his lifetime earnings of $711,800.

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An Uncle Mo colt, Mo Donegal had been in fine form of late, winning the Grade 2 Remsen in December 2021 over to-be Kentucky Derby runner-up Zandon. Mo Donegal also secured another Grade 2 victory, winning the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April this year, this time, beating the eventual winner of this year’s Preakness Stakes, Early Voting.

Mo Donegal did not fare too poorly at this year’s Kentucky Derby, finishing fifth, while longshot Rich Strike shocked the world and scripted history by beating favourite Epicenter.