ELMONT, N.Y. – Two miles after the Belmont Gold Cup began, it looked exactly as it had appeared on paper, before the horses loaded into the starting gate. On the page, Baron Samedi merited strong favoritism, and he ran to his short price, comfortably winning the Grade 2, $400,000 Gold Cup under John Velazquez.  Baron Samedi, trained in Ireland by Joseph O’Brien, was the only overseas shipper in the two-mile Gold Cup. The race wasn’t run in 2020, but European horses now have won all four editions since the Gold Cup purse was increased to $400,000 in 2017. Baron Samedi, racing far behind early leaders So High and Conviction Trade, cleaved to the fence nearly the whole trip, Velazquez, tabbed to ride by O’Brien, riding a superb race. Velazquez steered outside after turning for home, Baron Samedi inhaling the tiring pacesetters, and after Fantasioso got within about a length at the eighth pole, Baron Samedi asserted his superior stamina, drawing away to a 2 3/4-length win. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes on DRF Bets! Join today with code DOUBLE and get a $250 Bonus.  “He just keeps coming, keeps coming,” Velazquez said. “You got to ride him because he’s kind of slow paced, a grinder. I ended up being there a little too soon, because all of a sudden, he got there. Once we got to the three-eighths pole, after I was riding him to get to where I wanted to be, he gave me a good feeling from then.” Fantasioso had a length at the finish on rail-closing Ajourneytofreedom, who was followed by Kinenos, So High, Ziayad, Conviction Trade, Strong Tide, and Tide of the Sea. Winning time over a course officially labeled yielding but that Velazquez described as “very soft” was 3:27.30, more than 10 seconds slower than the 2018 renewal. Baron Samedi, odds-on for much of the wagering, drifted up late and paid $4.60. Baron Samedi is a 4-year-old gelding by Harbour Watch out of Dame Shirley, by Haafhd, who was plucked out of an auction for “nothing basically,” according to co-owner Chris Hurley, the “CH” in the ownership name, LECH Racing. The “LE” stands for Hurley’s partner, Lawrence Eke, who was the one who took a liking to a tall, lanky colt no one else seemed to want to buy.  :: Get DRF's Betting Strategies for exclusive picks and analysis from our expert handicappers.  “He was big and gangly, like me,” said Eke, who was speaking from overseas on the mobile phone of Hurley, who made the trip to New York. Baron Samedi lost his first three starts by vast margins during his 2019 campaign, ran better but took two more defeats early in 2020, finally won a race last Aug. 20 at Cork, and now has won seven straight under the tutelage of O’Brien, whose father, Aidan, scored a smashing win earlier Friday in England with Snowfall in the Oaks. The decision to geld Baron Samedi last year helped move the horse forward, Eke said, but Baron Samedi “always needed time to grow into his frame. Because he was tall, he needed time and patience. He started to fill out and carry himself better, and then he got stronger and stronger.” Baron Samedi seems to handle all course conditions and after hitting a peak winning a French Group 2 last fall has started his 4-year-old campaign with Group 3 and Grade 2 success. The gelding won’t run later this month in the Gold Cup at Epsom, but Eke said plans call for a Group 1 staying race somewhere this summer, with a potential trip to Australia in the fall for the Caulfield Cup or the Melbourne Cup under consideration.