Summer Bird pulls off 11-1 upset in Belmont
Belmont Park: Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) 1m4f dirt, 3yo
SUMMER BIRD, ridden by Kent Desormeaux and trained by Tim Ice, came with a storming late run to land the third leg of the US Triple Crown, the 141st Belmont Stakes.
Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness second, who was attempting to give his rider Calvin Borel a clean sweep of Triple Crown victories, could finish only third to the 11-1 winner as the long-time leader, 9-2 shot Dunkirk, hung on for second.
The winner, sixth in the Kentucky Derby and then rested with the Belmont as the target, was giving Hall of Fame jockey Desormeaux his first-ever win in the race and Ice, celebrating his 35th birthday, the best present he could have imagined.
In contrast to his rail-hugging run to win the Kentucky Derby on Mine That Bird, Borel swept early around the outside of the field on the 6-5 favourite to set up a three-horse battle in the home straight with early pacesetter Dunkirk and Charitable Man.
But Desormeaux sat tight aboard the first-time blinkered Summer Bird, before moving wide with 300 yards to run and firing his colt into the lead to go away and win by nearly three lengths, with a neck back to Dunkirk.
Dunkirk, sent off the co-second favourite at 9-2 with Charitable Man, took the lead at the start and was followed closest into the backstretch by Miner's Escape, Mr. Hot Stuff and Charitable Man, who edged up to third on the stretch turn - at which point Borel surprisingly brought Mine That Bird into contention. Meanwhile, Summer Bird was where most had thought Mine That Bird would have been.
In the home straight, Dunkirk stayed on along the rail with Charitable Man alongside and Mine That Bird on the outside. Just when the fight appeared to be between the three, Desormeaux brought Summer Bird to challenge and it was soon clear he had the momentum for victory.
Summer Bird - who, like Mine That Bird, was sired by 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone - won in a respectable 2min 27.54sec on very fast going.
Desormeaux, who finished last in the Belmont a year ago aboard the Triple Crown-seeking Big Brown, said: "I had an armchair ride until I found some room, and when I found some he really just laid his body down.
"I realised that I was trapped with nowhere to go and the horses in front of me weren't opening up. I could only hope that when I did get a place to present him, he would increase his speed just marginally, and then I would have a great chance.
"And it worked out that way."
Borel was philosophical, saying: "They went so slow up front and I had to let him go a little bit down the back side. He was kind of fighting me a little bit.
"I made the lead at the sixteenth pole and I thought he was home free. He ran his race. He's a little tired, but he ran his race. We''ll get 'emnext time.""
Mine That Bird's trainer, Chip Woolley, said: "I'm awful disappointed. I think my horse is probably the best horse here - we just made a little early move and came up a little empty. Calvin said he was fighting him, but it's a judgement call out there and I'll pat him on the back when I see him.
"When they flashed up the numbers [sectional times], I thought he would win, but I could see down the back side Calvin was letting him drift up and when you let this horse do that, he's gonna try to go.
"He'd have been better off trying to keep him covered up on the fence for a while - but that's easy to say now."
Charitable Man tangled with Dunkirk in an incident that prompted an inquiry that did not change the result.
Borel had come under some crticism for not taking more mounts over the 1m4f Belmont oval to familiarise himself with the biggest track in the US.
But others observed that Mine That Bird seemed much keener than he had for the Derby and Preakness.
The first two in the Belmont had made just four previous career starts each. Dunkirk, a $3.7 million public auction purchase, had won his first two starts in sensational style before finishing second in the Florida Derby and then a very troubled 11th in the Kentucky Derby.
Summer Bird attracted attention after finishing third in the Arkansas Derby off a maiden vitory in just his second start, then sixth in the Kentucky Derby before being so well prepared for the Belmont by his little-known trainer.
Ice appeared slightly stunned in the winner's circle and said: "I haven't quite wrapped my arms around this one yet."
The trainer, a former assistant to Desormeaux's brother Keith, had said a day earlier that if he couldn't get his horse ready for the Belmont, then that he didn't belong there. On Saturday he put any doubts to a very sweet rest.
>>Earlier, Justwhistledixie, sent off the 4-5 favourite, was denied a six-timer in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes for three-year-old fillies as Gabby's Golden Gal, trained by Bob Baffert and a pace-setting sixth in the KentuckyOaks won so imperiously by Calvin Borel and Rachel Alexandra, made virtually all under John Velazquez to score a 13-1 success.
In the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes, another favourite had to settle for second as Diamondrella, trained by Angel Penna Jr and ridden by Castellano, beat Forever Together to land a sixth successive victory.
In the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap over 1m on turf, the Christophe Clement-trained Gio Ponti came from last to first under Garret Gomez to beat Marsh Side by a length and a half. Veteran Better Talk Now, winner of the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf, was third.
Godolphin's Two Step Salsa was unplaced in the Grade 2 True North Handicap, won by Fabulous Strike, while their other intended runner, Regal Ransom, was scratched from the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes due to a tendon injury in hisright hind hock. The race went to the Coolmore-owned Munnings, trained by Todd Pletcher.
