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Well, let's meet the field for the 158th Belmont Stakes. Number one is the longest shot in the field. As the horses come out of the paddock to take part in the post parade, we are getting all set here for the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes live right here on Fox from Saratoga Park. And there he is, the number one, Vitruvian Man, the longest shot in the field at 22 to 1. Trainer Doug O'Neill and jockey Antonio Fresu, both California based, hoping to pull off the upset. Partially owned by Lil Wayne, who's from my hometown of New Orleans. And if Vitruvian Man wins, a milli would become a lot more than just a Lil Wayne song.
How many Lil Wayne songs do you know? Hey, Power Shift, owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher. They also have Renegade in this race. Power Shift, the lesser regarded of the two, but Richie, do you think this colt's early speed will make a difference? I do. In the way the track's playing, he's I believe he'll be in front and speed's been good today. Here's Chief Wally Be, fourth in the Kentucky Derby in his last start. He's hoping to give trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado back-to-back wins in the Belmont.
You can see him with those blinkers for the second time in his career. He's a bit timid, doesn't like to go through tight holes. Look for him to maybe come around. The favorite, Renegade, was second in the Derby, now hoping to go one better in the Belmont. Mike Repole owns this colt, co-owns it with Robert and Luana Lowe. A confirmed closer, his Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park was great. A little trouble early in the Kentucky Derby, but he finished well.
Oteño is the first of three runners in this race trained by Chad Brown, who grew up just 12 miles from the track in Saratoga. He's seeking his first ever win in the Belmont. The jockey is Dylan Davis. Hasn't run since the beginning of April. This is a big layoff for a race like this. Manny Franco is aboard another Chad Brown trainee, Growth Equity, who's seeking his third straight win, and has seen his speed figures improve each and every race. That improvement is the key for me, and he won the traditional Belmont Stakes prep in the Peter Pan. Commandment, a physically imposing colt finished seventh in the Derby, ending a four-race win streak. His trainer Brad Cox won the Belmont in '21 with
Essential Quality, and he's got 54-year-old Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez on board. No doubt he has the raw talent. He's shown it on his resume, but he must step forward from his Derby effort. And here's Emerging Market, the last of the Chad Brown trio, who like Growth Equity is co-owned by Seth Klarman, the Sports Radio champion jockey Flavien Prat is on board. Look for Flavien Prat to be a bit more patient. He was more position-conscious in the Kentucky Derby, tried to change his style. And there is the Derby winner Golden Ticket, trainer Cherie DeVaux, and Jose Ortiz, who won the Kentucky Derby, will
try to bookend the Triple Crown season here in the Belmont. We will find out if they do indeed do that. For the third and final time, it's the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. They're in the gate. And they're off in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, and Power Shift sprints out of the gate, so too Growth Equity. On the inside, Vitruvian Man is in third. Chief Walleye B fourth, Renegade not far behind, five lengths off the pace. Emerging Market inches up on the outside of Commandment. Otieno is second to last, and Golden Tempo once again takes his place at the back of the field.
Power Shift will set the tempo, leads the way into the clubhouse turn by 3/4 of a length with Growth Equity a clear-cut second. Vitruvian Man is in third, and they are followed by Emerging Market. The opening quarter went in a very moderate 23 and 4/5 seconds. It's another two lengths back. Chief Walleye B is kept on the outside of Otieno. Then comes Renegade and Commandment stride for stride, and Jose Ortiz takes the Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo onto the rail, and he's 12 lengths off the pace. It's Power Shift on the inside, and Growth Equity head-in-head the half went in 48 and 1/5 seconds coming to the half-mile pole in the Belmont Stakes with Vitruvian Man holding his spot in
third. Then it's Emerging Market fourth and three and a half off them. Chief Wallaby will go three wide outside of him. Now Renegade is called on. He's starting to make some headway. He's on the inside. Will need to find some room, but he's very much in the thick of it as Growth Equity has taken the lead in 1:12 and 1/5 seconds. Growth Equity short lead. Chief Wallaby's making a big move from behind. Golden Tempo is coming along with Commandment as the field turns for home. On the inside Growth Equity is just in front. Chief Wallaby comes to him. Out in the center of the racetrack Commandment's running a giant race. Renegade in the between and Golden Tempo. Golden Tempo, Renegade,
Commandment on the outside. Golden Tempo from last to first has to fend off Commandment in the final strides. Golden Tempo pulls away late. Golden Tempo has won the Belmont Stakes. Commandment ran lights out in second. Renegade was third, and Shahrasti writes another chapter in her outstanding story. The unofficial results, Golden Temple wins the Belmont, but there is an inquiry going on here on the third turn. The stewards will check and see whether or not this result will become official.
What a race. You know, just to give you an idea, I mean, Golden Temple was literally written off. Shirreffs said uh going into this race, "His running style leaves him very vulnerable and he'll have to come with a run, but he'll need the perfect trip." He got the perfect trip, but not the perfect pace. The first half mile of this race was 10 lengths slower than the Kentucky Derby and yet Golden Temple was able to pick him up in the end. He's a champion. He's a champion. He's a leader in the clubhouse. He's the best three-year-old. He did not get the pace scenario he got in the Derby and he showed he's not pace dependent.
All right, let's check in with Shirreffs Devaux, who's with Tom Rinaldi right now. Shirreffs, one word, history. What does it mean to make it? Oh, uh Still trying to catch my breath. Golden Temple is amazing. Jose is amazing. The Phipps family, St. Elias is amazing. It's just a lot. Amazing feeling and I don't know. I'm going to have to name a horse amazing now. To achieve this right here in the way that you did, the last time that this race is going to be contested here at Saratoga. How do you put it into words? Ooh, it's It's so meaningful. Um I have a lot of family here. Saratoga, it's been wonderful to have such a historic
race here. It's like an appetizer for the meet, but um you know, it's so meaningful cuz the town gets to have this um and celebrate it along with all of us. Anyone would ask you, Shirreffs, this horse, could it have won the Triple Crown? You know, it's not something I want to think about. We made our decision and he won today and we're going to be happy about that. One last thought here, Cherie, as you make your way out, what did you know about this horse that perhaps others didn't after the Derby?
He was very much improving. I think he needed to do this to kind of show that he was meant to win the Derby and that he is a horse that belongs in that conversation of being one of the top three-year-olds. Cherie, congratulations. Well done. Thank you so much. Let's go to Maggie. And I'm here with Javier Ortiz and Jose, while Cherie is in her hometown, this is your kind of home away from home. It's where you started to win the third and final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. I don't think we're going to get that muddy smile off your face anytime soon. Not really, I mean, Maggie. I'm very happy to win today. Obviously, last Belmont in Saratoga make it special, but it's all about him.
He we were just want him to get better and keep winning this kind of races. So, you know, he make him more valuable on the road and we very happy with him. So, it's all about him. Jose, a lot of people made the argument that he got the pace scenario in the Derby. He didn't necessarily have that today. You were closer to the pace. Talk a little bit about what was going through your mind as you headed down the back stretch in last.
No, I was following Renegade again. Which is always a good target. The horse make his movie around the half a mile going to the quarter pole and, you know, Commandment was there as well. That is very nice horse, but, you know, people is right. He wasn't going to get the setup as he did on the Derby. We all knew that and I was a little worried about it. You know, he needs some kind of setup. But today it wasn't none and he showed up today and won. So, that make him very [snorts] dangerous on the road for the for his rivals. I would say so. Is this a dangerous horse because he is getting good at the right time? Physically, he looks like a panther when he was walking around the paddock.
Yeah, he was bouncing a bit today, which made me very happy because I want him to be a little bit sharper today. But the main thing with him is his mind. You can see him. He's very relaxed. He does what I ask him to do. I think that's that's That's the main thing. He's growing mentally as well and physically. So, we Like I said before, we are very happy with him and it's all about him. It's all about Golden Temple. Jose, you won your first I know it's all about Golden Temple and I would agree, but you won your first Belmont back in 2017, your first Triple Crown race. Now, you've had your first Derby.
Congratulations on another Belmont. Thank you, Maggie. I appreciate it. Curt. All right, that inquiry does not involve the top four horses. So, Golden Temple is the winner of the 158th Belmont, doing it like it has in every race it's ever run, coming back from last place. This time, just like in the Derby, it ran all the way back to first. You know, it's remarkable. I mean, this is a situation where you have to have the athlete and Golden Temple is certainly the athlete. But one zig when you should have zagged, any pinch in your way in this entire race and he's not going to be the winner. Jose Ortiz was a true artist in how he got through this traffic, got to the top of the stretch and just he did in the Derby, pushed him outside and came home
fastest of all. But saved ground around the turn before he threaded his way to the outside with all that momentum. And you know, as a rider, if you get through or you don't you know, you're not you're able to get to the clear, you're the hero. If you get stuck in there, you're the one who's going to take all the blame. You're the goat in the wrong way, right? This was a tremendous ride, but he had the horse to do it. And how about the Phipps family and Vinnie and Teresa Viola St. Elias co-breeding the source, partners in the source. And you got to say Vinnie Viola, he's like a throwback to Art Rooney. Two Stanley Cups now, two Kentucky Derbys and a Belmont Stakes.
Yeah, Viola last won the Belmont with Tapwrit back in 2017. The Phipps family hadn't won the Belmont since Easy Goer in 1989. And so they can celebrate another great run down the stretch by Golden Tempo who wins two of the three Triple Crown races this year. And we will always wonder, might this have been a Triple Crown winner had it won all three? But Shahrir putting her name in the history books. She is the first woman ever to win two Triple Crown races and she does it five weeks apart. She's on the map now if [screaming] you didn't know her before.
She is indeed. And you know what? This is just special because there's so many great women that are horsemen. We refer to them in a general term horsemen. That now this opens the door for younger people watching this. I really think the training ranks are going to see a big shift and more women are going to get their opportunity and that's very, very important. She showed it could be done. So any girl any young little girl that's looking at it saying, I would like to do that but it's too daunting, it's not. There's the road map. If you work hard enough, you want it bad enough, you can do it.
