Belmont Stakes 2012 Results: Union Rags Would Have Beaten I'll Have Another

Union Rags is the winner of the 144th Belmont Stakes. It's a shame that I'll Have Another wasn't around to challenge him. There's no doubt that Union Rags would have beaten I'll Have Another if they had squared off.

Let's take a look at the results for the 2012 Belmont Stakes and the payouts for the top finishers, according to ESPN:

Horse		Win	Place	Show
3-Union Rags		$7.50	$4.20	$3.40
9-Paynter			$5.10	$3.90
4-Atigun				$10.60

Union Rags finally lived up to all the hype he had behind him for the Kentucky Derby with his win at the Belmont Stakes.

It didn't look good for much of the race, as Union Rags looked to be a victim of his positioning once again. He had all the trouble in the world trying to get in a good spot to make his late move.

But after showing a serious amount of patience, Union Rags got his opening and made his move.

Bob Baffert's horse, Paynter, was on his way to victory until Union Rags made a late charge to pass Paynter for the win, which was a scenario all too familiar to the top trainer, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports.

"

Triple Crown is over. Bob Baffert horse passed in the stretch for the third time in three races. Ouch.

— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) June 9, 2012"

According to Dan Wolken of FoxSports.com, the speed for this year's Belmont Stakes was slow.

"

The final time 2:30 and 2/5 is SLOW...Real slow. Will always wonder what might have been.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 9, 2012"

While it's nice to agree with Wolken in thinking what coud've been, that scenario could go both ways.

There's just no telling how well I'll Have Another would've run in the longest race of the Triple Crown. To speculate either way is impossible to do with the unpredictable nature of the mile-and-a-half race.

That being said, all we can do is focus on how this race was run.

I'll Have Another had a knack for finishing races strong, something that Union Rags clearly displayed in this race. These two horses share that special closing ability and have exceptional speed down the stretch.

Union Rags not only has speed and explosiveness comparable to the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but he showed he has the patience as well. Few horses can stay back and exude such little energy to make a late run, but Union Rags proved he is one of those special horses.

But the major factor that would've been a benefit to Union Rags is the extra rest he would have had over I'll Have Another.

Horses in this day and age aren't used to racing as frequently as the Triple Crown races call for. I'll Have Another would've been on his third race in about a month while Union Rags was fresh, not having raced since the Derby.

With both horses having similar abilities, Union Rags' fresh legs would have been too much for I'll Have Another in the end.

The matchup that never happened in the Belmont would have been one for the ages, and the question will always remain: Would Union Rags have beaten I'll Have Another in the Belmont?

Absolutely.