Belmont Stakes Results 2022: Video Replay of Mo Donegal's Race at Elmont
June 11, 2022
After having a massive upset winner in the Kentucky Derby, things returned to normal in the 2022 Belmont Stakes with betting favorite Mo Donegal getting the biggest win of his career.
Coming into the race with 7-2 odds (bet $200 to win $700), jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took a conservative approach with Mo Donegal before turning him loose. The horse came out of the gate slow, sitting in sixth coming around the first turn.
There wasn't much turnover on the leaderboard throughout the race. We the People was in the top spot most of the way, followed by Skippylongstocking and Nest.
Mo Donegal settled in at fourth place at the ¾-mile marker. Ortiz kicked things into gear with the horse down the final stretch for the win.
Mo Donegal finished fifth at Churchill Downs five weeks ago. He was 3¾ lengths behind Rich Strike.
Despite not making the board at the Kentucky Derby, Thomas Casale of the Action Network explained why the three-year-old colt deserved his status as the favorite for this race:
"Mo Donegal loves New York, nipping Preakness winner Early Voting in the Wood Memorial, beating Zandon in the Remsen Stakes and breaking his maiden at Belmont. He’s rested and his hard-charging style is a perfect fit for this track," Casale said.
Rich Strike and Mo Donegal were the only horses that finished in the top five at the Kentucky Derby who competed at the Belmont Stakes. Rich Strike, who pulled off the second-biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history, finished sixth in the eight-horse field at Belmont Park.
Neither horse participated in the Preakness Stakes on May 21. Early Voting, coming off a win at Pimlico, sat out the Belmont. Ortiz had a nice rebound performance after riding Armagnac to a seventh-place finish three weeks ago.
The Donegal Racing horse earned his fourth win in his past six races. He entered the Kentucky Derby with a lot of positive momentum coming off a win at the Wood Memorial. It was a big step in the right direction after finishing third at the Holy Bull Grade 3 stakes race on Feb. 5.
This race started very similar to the Kentucky Derby for Mo Donegal. Ortiz got him off to a slow start from the first post, but he made up enough ground late to have a respectable finish.
The longer track at Belmont Park worked out much better for Mo Donegal's strengths. He looked stronger down the stretch of the 1.5-mile race while the rest of the field was wearing down.
Saturday's victory marks the second at the Belmont Stakes for Ortiz (Creator, 2016). It's the win at a Triple Crown race for trainer Todd Pletcher (three at the Belmont Stakes, two at the Kentucky Derby).