Arcangelo won the 155th running Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
With the win, Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, 50 years and one day after Secretariat’s 31-length victory that is still a record today.
Bob Baffert’s National Treasure, the winner of the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago, led for the vast majority of the race, but at the final turn, Arcangelo snuck into the lead from the inside and never relinquished the lead down the final stretch.
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The main track is seen before the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 8, 2023 in Elmont, New York. All practice and races at the track were canceled today due to the Canadian bushfires. Air pollution alerts have been issued across the United States due to smoke from the wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Jockey Javier Castellano went 0-for-29 in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes combined entering this year; he won both this year.
Forte, the morning line favorite, finished in second place. He was also favored to win the Kentucky Derby, but was eliminated the morning of the race. He missed the Preakness Stakes due to regulations for missing the first race of the Triple Crown.
Arcangelo closed at 7-1.
The race was in slight jeopardy after the Northeast was engulfed in unhealthy smoke and New York state suspended racing, training and practice Thursday.
The sky turned orange, prompting several professional sports teams to postpone games over air quality concerns.
PETA issued a statement Wednesday calling for the cancellation of Thursday’s events, but PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo has also called for NYRA to consider canceling all horse racing over the weekend if conditions persist. air quality.
Thoroughbreds and exercise jockeys train before the 149th Belmont Stakes in 2017, in Elmont, NY (Al Bello/Getty Images, File)
“If the air in New York is not safe for humans, it will be worse for horses running at full speed,” Guillermo said in a statement. «Horse safety must come before profit and tradition, even if it means postponing the Belmont Stakes.»
A view of the starting gate at the Belmont Stakes. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, file)
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday the Belmont Stakes could be canceled if Saturday’s air quality index exceeds 200, the Environmental Protection Agency’s benchmark for air that is very unhealthy for everyone. . However, at 4 pm ET, the air index was at 49 at the race track.