Constitution fourth in comeback at 2-5 odds

Making his first start since winning the Florida Derby, and his first start since a hairline fracture knocked him off the Triple Crown trail, Constitution suffered the first loss of his career when fourth in Sunday’s eighth race at Belmont Park.

The overwhelming favorite at 2-5 against five rivals in an optional claimer, Constitution, trained by Todd Pletcher, recovered from a stumbling start to set a pressured pace for six furlongs while headstrong, but gave way through the lane to wind up fourth behind Easter Gift ($8.70), St Moose, and Spa City Fever, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Easter Gift, who had been walloped by better than 30 lengths in two starts this year for Chad Brown, surged late outside to nip St Moose by a head, and ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.69 on a good main track.