Madison Favorite Animal Kingdom Places 6th In 143rd Running of Belmont Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Entering Saturday’s race as the favorite, Animal Kingdom shocked many as he trailed the majority of the 143^rd running of the Belmont Stakes.

The Kentucky Derby winner, running out of the ninth stall, finished sixth. Ruler On Ice, who was racing at 24-1 odds, won the 1.5-mile race and final leg of the Triple Crown in 2:30.88.

“It looks like he was pinched by the horses on either side,” said trainer Graham Motion. “The horse almost fell down. Johnny couldn’t believe the horse stayed up. He lost his iron.”

It took Animal Kingdom until he was halfway around the track to get its grounding back in the sloppy conditions.

“It was unbelievable,” said jockey John Velazquez. “They came over on me and clipped heels and I almost came off. I had a horrible trip. I was asking for him for run away too much to be where I was from the half-mile pole to the quarter pole. At that point, I was just hoping to get a piece of it and that’s why I rode him that way after the start. No way he was going to make up that much ground. He’s still a great horse.”

This marks the third straight year that all three legs of the Triple Crown were won by different horses.

“It’s disappointing not to give the horse a chance to run his race,” Motion said. “I thought down the backside we didn’t have any shot at all, and then he started to make that incredible move. But it was asking too much too late.”

In order the final results were Ruler On Ice, Stay Thirsty, Brilliant Speed, Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn’t He Perfect. 

News & Notes

• According to the New York Racing Association, a crowd of 55,779 wagered $10 million on Belmont Stakes Day races, a 32.9 percent increase over $7.5 million last year. Attendance was also up 23.3 percent.
• Ruler On Ice’s jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. on the win: “At the half-mile pole, I was hearing whips cracking behind me and I could hear guys chirping to their horses, and all I’m doing is picking up the tempo. At the sixteenth pole, I thought, ‘This is the true Test of the Champion.’ It’s a great feeling.”