CLOSE . . . BUT A REAL LETDOWN; BY A NOSE, VICTORY GALLOP SPOILS TRIPLE CROWN BID.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer In the end, the critics were correct. Real Quiet didn't fit the picture of a Triple Crown winner. By a photo-finish margin, officially termed a nose but actually the width of your hand, Real Quiet and jockey Kent Desormeaux Kent J. Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970, in Maurice, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year. didn't measure up Saturday, losing the 130th Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Oldest of the three U.S. horse races that constitute the Triple Crown. The Belmont originated in 1867 and is named after August Belmont (see Belmont family). The stakes is held in early June at Belmont Park, near Garden City, Long Island; the course is 1.5 mi (2,400 m). to Victory Gallop Victory Gallop (foaled May 30, 1995 in Ontario, Canada) was an American-based Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Ivan Dalos' Tall Oaks Farm, Victory Gallop was born later in the 1995 year than is common for most Thoroughbreds. and Gary Stevens
Had the finish line arrived a stride earlier or a stride later, Real Quiet would be hailed today as the 12th horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont. Or, at least, he would be hailed as a tough and tenacious overachiever o·ver·a·chieve intr.v. o·ver·a·chieved, o·ver·a·chiev·ing, o·ver·a·chieves To perform better or achieve more success than expected. o . Had the result been different, Desormeaux and trainer Bob Baffert would go back to work at Hollywood Park as conquering heroes, and owner Mike Pegram might never have to pay for another beer despite having a $5 million Triple Crown bonus in his pocket. But after watching Real Quiet lose a race he had led by four lengths in the middle of the quarter-mile Belmont Park homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. , his team can only play the ``woulda, coulda, shoulda'' game with which horseplayers are so familiar. ``It's my fault,'' Baffert offered minutes after the race, saying Real Quiet lost simply because he lacked the stamina for the 1-1/2-mile marathon. ``The Fish (Real Quiet's nickname) floundered and that was it.'' ``I would like to do it again, I can tell you that,'' Desormeaux said, trying to take the blame, saying he sent Real Quiet to a commanding lead too early, squandering squan·der tr.v. squan·dered, squan·der·ing, squan·ders 1. To spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate. See Synonyms at waste. 2. the colt's dwindling dwin·dle v. dwin·dled, dwin·dling, dwin·dles v.intr. To become gradually less until little remains. v.tr. To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. energy, and was too aggressive about trying to let Real Quiet ``see'' Victory Gallop coming, turning the colt's head so hard he veered to the right in the final yards. ``It's not his fault,'' Baffert responded. ``Today, we just got beat. That's all there is to it. It wasn't (Desormeaux), the horse just got beat.'' That slight swerve in deep stretch - actually two swerves strides apart - put Real Quiet in the path of Victory Gallop and briefly stopped the latter's momentum. If Real Quiet had won on the track, he might have lost the Triple Crown in the stewards' stand, a chilling thought that must have haunted the Belmont Park officials overnight. Stevens, unsure he'd won the head-bobbing finish, immediately asked an official outrider out·rid·er n. 1. A guide; an escort. 2. One that goes in advance; a forerunner. 3. A mounted attendant who rides in front of or beside a carriage. to put a ``hold'' on the result so he could claim foul. The stewards posted the ``inquiry'' sign and it was eight minutes before they announced that the result would stand - Victory Gallop first, Real Quiet second, Thomas Jo and Chris McCarron six lengths back in third. (Disappointment of the day was Grand Slam, who finished seventh as the 7-1 third choice.) Canadian-bred Victory Gallop, who was timed in 2:29.16, one of the slower recent Belmonts, paid $11 as the 9-2 second choice of the track's second biggest crowd ever. Real Quiet was 4-5 - the heaviest Belmont favorite since Alysheba 11 years ago. The videotape showed that the bumping between the two horses was all Real Quiet's fault, whether because of his staggering fatigue or because of Desormeaux's work with the reins. In a printed statement, the stewards said that had Real Quiet won the photo, he ``probably'' would have been disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. for interference. ``I'm glad he got beat, then. That would have been worse,'' said Baffert, who kept his famous sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour after watching Real Quiet lose the Belmont and the Triple Crown in even more dramatic fashion than Baffert-trained Silver Charm did in 1997. Real Quiet is the fifth Triple Crown hopeful to fail in the Belmont since Affirmed accomplished the last sweep 20 years ago. Ironically, it was Stevens who rode Silver Charm last year, and thought he had the Belmont won until Touch Gold rallied on the outside. Saturday, in the race whose sheer length makes it a classic jockeys' race, Stevens rode brilliantly to win the Belmont for the second time. (He teamed up with Thunder Gulch in 1995.) He had to thread Victory Gallop through traffic several times before finally seeing daylight in the shadow of the grandstand. Stevens' performance was a triumph of patience. The day before, he had a chalk talk with Elliott Walden, who trains the son of Cryptoclearance for the Preston brothers, Texas oilmen who breed horses at Prestonwood Farm in Kentucky. Stevens was urged not to chase Real Quiet if the favorite made the same mid-race move toward the leaders that won him the Derby and Preakness. It was a rope-a-dope strategy - let Real Quiet tire himself out. Victory Gallop was 10th, eight lengths behind early leader Chilito, as they ran up the backstretch back·stretch n. The part of an oval racecourse farthest from the spectators and opposite the homestretch. . ``It was very, very difficult to hit the three-eighths pole and see Real Quiet opening up on me and not hit the button,'' Stevens said. ``But that's the way you ride when you have confidence in your horse.'' Victory Gallop lost the Derby by half a length after a sweeping rally, and Walden thought his horse had deserved to win. After Saturday's race, maybe Walden was right. Just as the Real Quiet bashers were right, though not by much. HOW CLOSE THEY CAME Victory Gallop's victory by a nose over Real Quiet made this the closest Belmont Stakes to spoil a Triple Crown attempt: Year Spoiler spoiler: see airplane. 1. spoiler - A remark which reveals important plot elements from books or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article) the proper suspense when reading the book or watching the movie. 2. Spoilee How he finished 1944 Bounding Home Pensive pen·sive adj. 1. Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful. 2. Suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness. 2nd by one-half length 1958Cavan Tim Tam 2nd by 6 lengths 1961 Sherluck Carry Back 7th by 14-3/4 lengths 1964 Quadrangle quadrangle Rectangular open space completely or partially enclosed by buildings of an academic or civic character. The grounds of a quadrangle are often grassy or landscaped. Northern Dancer 3rd by 6 lengths 1966 Amberoid Kauai King 4th by 7-3/4 lengths 1968 Stage Door Johnny Stage Door Johnny (1965-1996) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the 1968 Belmont Stakes. Bred for racing a distance Owned by the Whitney family's prominent Greentree Stable, Stage Door Johnny was sired by Prince John, a four-time leading Forward Pass 2nd by 13-1/4 lengths 1969 Arts and Letters Arts and Letters (1966-1998) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by American sportsman, and noted philanthropist Paul Mellon, and trained by future Hall of Famer Elliott Burch, the colt began racing at age two. Majestic Prince 2nd by 5-1/2 lengths 1971Pass Catcher Canonero II 4th by 4-1/2 lengths 1979 Coastal Spectacular Bid 3rd by 3-1/2 lengths 1981 Summing Pleasant Colony 3rd by 1-3/4 lengths 1987 Bet Twice Alysheba 4th by 14-1/4 lengths 1989 Easy Goer Sunday Silence 2nd by 8 lengths 1997 Touch Gold Silver Charm 2nd by three-quarters 1998 Victory Gallop Real Quiet 2nd by a nose CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, 2 Boxes PHOTO (1--Color) Mike Pegram, owner of Real Quiet, indicates just how close he was to a perfect day. Adam Nadel/Associated Press (2--Color) Victory Gallop's victory by a nose over Real Quiet made this the closest Belmont Stakes to spoil a Triple Crown attempt. Bill Kostroun/Associated Press (3) The official photo shows just how close it is at the wire as Victory Gallop (11) ends Real Quiet's bid for the Triple Crown. Associated Press BOX: (1) HOW CLOSE THEY CAME (see text) (2) BELMONT SCORECARD |
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