Pletcher’s Mo Donegal wins Belmont Stakes
NEW YORK — Mo Donegal won and filly Nest was second, giving trainer Todd Pletcher a 1-2 finish at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday for his sixth victory in a Triple Crown race.
Donegal rounded the 1 1/2mile track in 2 minutes, 28.28 seconds, ahead of Nest and Skippylongstocking.
Pletcher won the Belmont Stakes for the fourth time, following Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tapwrit in 2017.
Mo Donegal beat a wideopen, eight-horse field without a clear favorite — We the People, a monster in the mud, opened at 2 to 1 amid a rainy forecast but reached 7 to 2 by race time as showers held off.
Mo Donegal entered the gate the betting favorite at 5 to 2. We the People led for much of the race, but Mo Donegal and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took charge coming out of the final turn.
“The one thing I told Irad is be patient,” Pletcher said. “I think you have the best last quarter of any horse in the race.”
The 3-year-old colt paid $7.20, $3.80 and $3. Nest — who nearly became Pletcher’s second filly to win Belmont after Rags to Riches — paid $5.30 and $4.10. Skippylongstocking was third and returned $5.60 to show. We the People finished fourth.
Rich Strike, a stunning Kentucky Derby winner at 80-to-1 odds, was sixth after owner Rick Dawson and trainer Eric Reed held him out of the Preakness with an eye on Belmont. defend our country.”
Steve Sax played in the Major Leagues from 1981 to 1994, winning two world championships during his seven years as a second-baseman with the Dodgers. Fans, Major League Baseball and the team offered condolences on social media.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers are saddened to hear about the passing of Steve Sax’s son, John, and the five Marines who lost their lives in this week’s tragic helicopter accident. Our thoughts and condolences go out to their families and friends,” the Dodgers said in a tweet Saturday.
John J. Sax is survived by his wife, Amber, who is pregnant with their second child, and their 20-month-old daughter, said Dodgers spokesperson Steve Brener.
Sax, of Placer, Calif., was one of two pilots killed in the crash, along with Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, N.H. Also killed were three tiltrotor crew chiefs: Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Ill.; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyo.; and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, N.M.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.