Top Belmont Stakes rides: No. 4
4. Bill Shoemaker, Jaipur, 1962
Jaipur had defeated Admiral’s Voyage in the Jersey Derby on Memorial Day with room to spare, but the Belmont Stakes was a battle that would be in doubt every step of the way. The young Panamanian jockey Braulio Baeza used all his poise and superior strength to keep Admiral’s Voyage in front for most of the first mile while Shoemaker bided his time aboard Jaipur in second, waiting for the moment to launch his best challenge. It came at the top of the stretch when Shoemaker let out a notch on Jaipur to engage his rival stride for stride, with Shoemaker outfinishing his stronger opponent with the guile and finesse for which he was famous. The legendary master defeated a budding master – by a measured inch.