At the Kentucky Derby, I'll have another chased down Bodemeister in the home stretch to pull off an unexpected win. At the Preakness Stakes, I'll Have Another once again overtook Bodemeister down the final straightaway to clinch the second leg of the Triple Crown. Although I'll Have Another retired before being able to try for the full Triple Crown, the end result of the 2012 Belmont Stakes on Saturday was surprisingly similar.
The betting favorites heading into the final leg of the Triple Crown were Dullahan, who finished strong at the Kentucky Derby and Union Rags, who was one of the favorites to win at Churchill Downs but had a very disappointing finish.
As the horses got underway in the longest race of the Triple Crown, Dullahan fell off the pace early and was left behind well before the finish. Paynter was solidly in the lead as the horses rounded the final corner, but Union Rags began to make his move along the inside rail down the home stretch. In the final hundred yards, Union Rags overtook Paynter at the wire to win by a nose in a photo finish, with Atigun coming in third.
For continued updates, news and late-breaking stories at the Belmont Stakes and all of horse racing in general, make sure to check out SB Nation's awesome horse racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come.
