2010 Belmont Stakes Recap, Results, Order of Finish and Payoffs
by Kenneth Strong, Predictem.com Horse Racing Handicapper
Drosselmeyer posts 13-1 upset in 142nd Belmont Stakes, Favored Ice Box 9th
Drosselmeyer came with a long steady rally to win the 2010 Belmont Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Fly Down at Belmont Park on June 5, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and jockey Mike Smith each their first ever wins in the classic.
In hindsight Drosselmeyer was probably a great bet at the price, given that his trainer Bill Mott is widely regarded as one of the best horsemen in the business, and one of only a handful of thoroughbred trainers who gets a level of respect reserved fortruly great horsemen such as H. Allen Jerkens. And in the vein of late great trainer Charlie Whittingham, Mottdoesnt run horses when they arent ready. If he does run a horse in a Triple Crown race, were supposed to pay attention. Of course we didnt. Well, thats not 100 percent true.
We watched Drosselmeyer closely in the Dwyer and he was soundly drilled byFly Down. Then he came up with a case of tender feet and had to have bar shoes put on to train up to the Belmont. Even though he was getting regular race plates back on for the Belmont, the combination of his Dwyer drubbing and the foot problems caused us to overlook him. Never again will we do that when a trainer of Motts caliber is at the helm.
Stalking outside and back of slow fractions of 24.0, 49.0, 1:14 4/5 and 1:40 1/5 set by natural lone speed horse and Preakness runner-up First Dude, Drosselmeyer was under a strong hold throughout most of the race. He began his move late on the sweeping Belmont turn for home and continued to gain on First Dude, who was in the process of turning back a surprisingly decent early stretch bid from 17-1 shot Game On Dude.
Drosselmeyer finally got by First Dude after passing the sixteenth pole, opened up a little and had enough in the tank to hold off the rallying Fly Down. The mile and a quarter went in 2:04 4/5 and the final time for the 1 -mile race was 2:31.57, making it the slowest running of the Belmont Stakes since Thunder Gulch won it in 1995 with a time of 2:32, over a surface that would have to be regarded as much slower than the surface that the 2010 Belmont was run over.
The slow final timeresulted in a Beyer Speed Figure of only 94 for Drosselmeyer, who was winning the first stakes race of his career. A $600,000 yearling purchase at the 2008 Keeneland September Sales, the chestnut colt by Distorted Humor-Golden Ballet by Moscow Ballet improved his career record to 3-3-2 from nine starts. The$600,000 winner’s share of the Belmont purse boosted Drosselmeyer’slifetime earnings to $801,170. The Belmont victory was the second in a Triple Crown race this year for Winstar Farm owners Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt, who also won the 2010 Kentucky Derby with Super Saver.
Fly Down, the second choice in the wagering based on his trainer Nick Zito and his Dwyer Stakes victory, bested First Dude by a neck to take the place while Game on Dude finished 1 -lengths behind First Dude in fourth after his foiled stretch bid. Game on Dude certainly deserves credit for an excellent effort. Uptowncharlybrown finished fifth after a good trip inside but lacked a closing punch and was later disqualified for having lost an eight pound lead pad from his saddle on the backstretch, a rare occurrence in racing but one that meant he did not carry the required weight of 126 pounds for the full race.
Stay Put finished a non-threatening sixth at 26-1 while longshot hopeful Interactif faded after a good trip pressing a slow pace from the outside. Interactif was both a tired horse and one that probably doesnt want to run over a mile and an eighth. Keep an eye out for him to be part of some longshot exactors in the future when hes had a rest and comes back fresh at a shorter distance.
Neither Stately Victor (8th) nor favorite Ice Box (9th) had any excuses after decent trips, although trainer Nick Zito said later that Ice Box had not been himself and had displaced his palate during the race. Were more inclined to think the slow pace was the reason Ice Box didnt run as well as he did.
Tenth-place finisher Make Music For Me steadied mildly early in the race but surprisingly failed to pick up his feet throughout, while Dave in Dixie and Spangled Star were overmatched, finishing eleventh and twelfth respectively.
Simply put, this was a boring, slow Belmont Stakes that lacked stars including both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners, but there could be better on the horizon. Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness Stakes winner Lookin at Lucky are both said to be pointing towards the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 28, where there is a chance they will also face Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer. Super Saver and Drosselmeyer will likely prep for the Travers in either the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 31 or the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 1. Lookin at Lucky is also said to be considering the Haskell as his Travers prep.
If the Travers does shape up as a race between the Triple Crown race winners, it could be the race that decides the 3-year-old championship.
2010 Belmont Stakes Payoffs
7 Drosselmeyer $28.00 11.60 $7.70
5 Fly Down $6.80 $5.10
11 First Dude $4.90
8 Game On Dude
$2 Exacta 7-5 paid $144.50
$2 Trifecta 7-5-11 paid $766.00
$2 Superfecta 7-5-11-8 paid $10,658.00
$2 Daily Double 4-7 paid $596.00
$2 Brooklyn-Belmont Daily Double paid $283.00
$2 Pick Three 12-4-7 paid $36,107.00
$2 Pick Four 3-12-4-7 paid $167,056.00
$2 Pick 6 5-5-3-12-4-7 (Five Correct) paid $3,180.00
Pick 6 Carryover $930,495.00
2010 Belmont Stakes Complete Order of Finish
1. Drosselmeyer
2. Fly Down
3.First Dude
4.Game On Dude
5.Uptowncharlybrown (DQ)
6.Stay Put
7.Interactif
8.Stately Victor
9.Ice Box
10. Make Music for Me
11.Dave in Dixie
12.Spangled Star
