Belmont Stakes 2012 Results: Mike Smith Proves He Can't Handle Pressure

Despite the notable absence of I'll Have Another, the Belmont Stakes looked a whole lot like the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

While the roles of Bodemeister and I'll Have Another were played by the more healthy and fresh Paynter and Union Rags, one player remained the same—Mike Smith.

In finishing second, Smith accomplished a rare feat—he is one of few jockeys who have placed second at all three Triple Crown races. While riding Bodemeister, Smith took the lead in both the Derby and the Preakness only to have I'll Have another pass his horse on the way to claiming both races.

Smith had to have felt deja vu all over again when he took a sizable lead at the Belmont only to leave room on the rail to allow Union Rags to make his exceptional comeback bid. To choke down the stretch once is one thing—everyone is entitled to a bad day. Suffering the same fate in three consecutive races becomes a psychological trend.

Smith is a veteran jockey, his accomplishments go all the way back to 1990. The fact that he was in position to earn three straight second-place finishes is a testament that he is skilled, but it also shows a serious lack of clutch.

Of all Smith's meltdowns down the stretch in this season, this one will hurt the most. Union Rags had to come back from as far back as fifth and even then the race was close. Smith made a rather elementary mistake by allowing Paynter to drift off the rail and allowed Paynter to squeeze through to take the victory.

The only explanation for a simple mistake like that in a race of this magnitude is that he simply did not handle the pressure of holding the lead well at all.

As accomplished as Smith is, the 2012 Triple Crown races have sealed his fate as a jockey that can't handle the pressure of having the lead.