ELMONT, N.Y. - -The Belmont Stakes has always had a cruel and sneaky sense of humor. The track nicknamed "Big Sandy" is so gorgeous and picturesque that it almost encourages its competitors to dream big, right before it punches them in the face, steals their wallet and breaks their heart.
Few jockeys understand this better than Kent Desormeaux, a 39-year-old Hall of Famer who twice has had a Triple Crown snatched from his grasp on the 1 1/2 -mile New York track. And so as Desormeaux rode Summer Bird to an unlikely victory Saturday in the 141st running of the Belmont - passing Mine That Bird and Dunkirk on the final stretch - a small part of him understood what Calvin Borel was going through.
Borel was attempting to become the first jockey in history to win all three legs of the Triple Crown while riding two different horses, a feat dubbed the "Triple Calvin" by those desperate to inject some buzz into horse racing's final summer classic.
But Mine That Bird couldn't quite muster enough energy to hold a late lead, and Summer Bird and Desormeaux slid to the outside down the stretch and breezed to the wire, leaving Borel crestfallen and the majority of the announced 52,861 in attendance feeling noticeably deflated.
"I thought I had it won when I got to the quarter pole," Borel said. "When I moved, I was happy. No excuses. He ran his eyeballs out. Turning for home, I thought he was home free. He ran his heart out. We just got out-run. Don't take anything away from the little horse."
Dunkirk, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, finished a hair in front of Mine That Bird for second place, while Charitable Man came in a distant fourth. Summer Bird, at 11-1 odds, paid $25.80.
For Desormeaux, the victory offered a little slice of validation, considering it was the one Triple Crown race he had not won, and also a little slice of redemption. In 1998, Desormeaux won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness aboard Real Quiet, and the duo looked like a good bet to sweep the Triple Crown races for the first time since Affirmed did it in 1978. But in one of the most thrilling photo finishes in the history of the sport, Victory Gallop won by a head bob, prompting years of second-guessing about Desormeaux's ride.
A year ago, Desormeaux was, once again, a Belmont victory away from a Triple Crown, this time with Big Brown, but the powerful colt never looked right during the race, and Desormeaux shut him down on the back stretch and jogged him to the wire.
