Ruler On Ice reigns in Belmont Stakes

Ruler On Ice ploughed his way through the mud to score an upset win in the 143rd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday after the Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom almost threw his rider at the start.

By (Reuters)

Published: Sun 12 Jun 2011, 9:03 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 7:39 PM

Perfectly ridden by Peru-born jockey Jose Valdivia, Ruler On Ice defied his generous odds of 24-1 to outstay his more favoured rivals to win the one and a half mile classic and claim the third jewel of American racing’s Triple Crown after missing the first two legs.

“With a half-mile remaining, I still felt like I had a lot of horse beneath me,” Valdivia said.

“Turning for home, everything started going in slow motion. At the sixteenth pole, I thought ‘this is the true test of a champion.’”

Stay Thirsty, another long shot, finished second by three quarters of a length after hugging the rail down the stretch while Brilliant Speed grabbed third, one and a half lengths behind the runner-up, after a late charge down the centre of a sloppy Belmont Park track.

Animal Kingdom, which started favorite after winning last month’s Kentucky Derby and finishing a close second in the Preakness Stakes, finished sixth after the colt blew his chances when he was bumped as the 12 runners charged out of the gates. John Velazquez was left clinging desperately to the reins after his foot was knocked out of the irons. He was a distant last for most of the journey until he managed to get his foot back in and set off on a wide run but was unable to catch the leaders. “It was unbelievable. They came over on me and clipped heels and I almost came off. I had a horrible trip,” Velazquez said.

“I was just hoping to get a piece of it and that’s why I rode him that way after the start. No way he was going to make up that much ground. He’s still a great horse.”

As with the two previous legs, the Preakness winner Shackleford jumped to the front and tried to lead all the way. He was still in front when they turned for home but faded to finish fifth.

‘Losing concentration’

“He did everything he was supposed to do and didn’t hang on,” Shackleford’s trainer Dale Romans said.

Despite recording two wins and three minor placings from his six previous career starts, Ruler On Ice, who paid $51.50 for a $2 win bet, was still regarded as an outsider after failing to get a start in last month’s Kentucky Derby and opting to skip the Preakness.

His trainer Kelly Breen said the horse had a habit of losing concentration during his races so they put blinkers on him for the first time, confident that if his manners improved he would run the distance because of his breeding.

He made a good start from an inside post position and was second behind Shackleford for most of the way before surging to the front in the final straight and hanging on to collect the first prize of $600,000 and the traditional winner’s garland of white carnations. “He didn’t mature as fast as we wanted to. He’s already a gelding so we can’t castrate him again, so we put blinkers on,” said Breen, who claimed his first Triple Crown success. “He was still goofing off and didn’t break great. Last week, he broke right and it’s like sometimes, the bulb just goes on. It was a perfect storm of things going right, and that’s how we got here.”