NEW YORK — An underachiever finally came through in the $1 million Belmont Stakes and gave Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Mike Smith milestones they’ve been seeking for decades.
Drosselmeyer, left out of the Kentucky Derby because he failed to earn enough money, outlasted a couple of Dudes and held off Fly Down by three-quarters of a length to win the final leg of the Triple Crown.
The win by the gleaming 3-year-old chestnut colt ended Smith’s 0-for-12 riding record in the Belmont, and gave Mott his first victory in a Triple Crown race.
“To finally win this one,” Smith said, “unbelievable.”
With neither Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver nor Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky in the field, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont looked to be a matchup of classic runner-ups — Ice Box from the Derby vs. First Dude from the Preakness.
First Dude took the lead, but couldn’t hold off Drosselmeyer in the stretch and finished third after giving way to Fly Down in the final strides. Game on Dude was fourth.
Ice Box, the 9-5 favorite trained by Nick Zito, was never in contention and finished ninth in the 12-horse field. Zito’s Fly Down ended up as the 5-1 second choice.
The victory reaffirmed Drosselmeyer’s talent. Purchased by WinStar Farm for $600,000, the colt started his career on turf, won two races on dirt, then went 0-for-3 in the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby and the Dwyer, where he was beaten by six lengths by Fly Down on May 8.
“It all came together,” said Mott, best known as the trainer of the great Cigar from 1995-96. “I think it was just a matter of time with some of the good horses I get to train that it was going to happen.”
One reason it happened may have been a jockey switch to Smith from Kent Desormeaux, who was aboard Drosselmeyer for seven of his eight starts.
“I felt like the horse needed a little change in routine,” said WinStar racing manager Elliott Walden. “We went to Mike because we felt he would get him in a rhythm and keep him running. This horse really kicked hard turning for home and finished strong.”
WinStar seems to be making all the right calls these days, and closed out the Triple Crown with wins in two races — it also owns Derby winner Super Saver.
In front of 45,243 at Belmont Park, Drosselmeyer was sent off at odds of 13-1. It was Smith who made a key decision to keep his long-striding colt in the clear. He eased the horse to the outside for the run down the backstretch, always keeping First Dude within range.
