Hovdey: As the Belmont turned, a soap opera was born
There should be no surprise that the opening quarter mile of the 150th Belmont Stakes last Saturday has become grist for post-race agita.
Jay HovdeyJun 11, 2018
There should be no surprise that the opening quarter mile of the 150th Belmont Stakes last Saturday has become grist for post-race agita.
The year may not even be half over, but in the race for Horse of the Year, it's over.
Four years after California Chrome's unsuccessful quest for the Triple Crown shattered handle records and produced stratospheric television ratings, and three years after American Pharoah ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought and was draped with the blanket of carnations awarded to the Belmont Stakes winner, this year's Triple Crown win by Justify underwhelmed, at least when considering the raw business numbers.
The trainers of the 3-year-olds left in the wake of Justify's Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown victories Saturday are honing in on a summer campaign that is likely to see some of them compete in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25.
The manner in which Florent Geroux rode Restoring Hope in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes - won by his stablemate Justify, who completed a Triple Crown sweep - was a source of frustration and ire for some horsemen involved in the race.
The overnight rating for the Belmont Stakes broadcast on NBC on Saturday peaked at an 8.1 with a 19 share, a strong number for any sports broadcast but well below the overnight figures posted for the past two Triple Crown bids in 2015 and 2014.
A lot was thrown at Justify over the past four months, but he handled it all in unprecedented fashion, and on Sunday, trainer Bob Baffert said Justify had emerged from his Triple Crown-clinching victory in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday in good condition and was “ready to go.”
Total betting on the Belmont Stakes this year, the first year a Triple Crown was on the line since American Pharoah’s 2015 Belmont, was $79.7 million, according to a chart of the race, a 68 percent gain on handle for the race last year but short of the amount of money bet three years ago.
As the field walked toward the starting gate for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, jockey Mike Smith, aboard Triple Crown hopeful Justify, looked up to the heavens. A big smile came across his face, as if he knew what was about to happen.
For the second time during this year’s Triple Crown series, trainer Chad Brown came out second-best to Justify after Gronkowski’s late rally fell 1 3/4 lengths short of the favorite in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.