Belmont Stakes 2016: What Video Replay Shows About Creator's Win

After failing to make much noise at the Kentucky Derby on May 7, Creator rallied down the stretch to beat Destin by a nose at the 2016 Belmont Stakes.

His turnaround was historic, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Here is a replay of the race in its entirety, courtesy of NBC Sports:

NBC Sports also provided a closer look at the finish:

Here are the complete results:

Place	Horse	Lengths Behind	Earnings
1	Creator	-	$800,000
2	Destin	Nose	$280,000
3	Lani	1.75	$150,000
4	Governor Malibu	4.5	$100,000
5	Stradivari	6.75	$60,000
6	Brody's Cause	7.5	$45,000
7	Cherry Wine	8.5	$35,000
8	Gettysburg	9.5	$30,000
9	Suddenbreakingnews	10	-
10	Trojan Nation	11.75	-
11	Exaggerator	14.75	-
12	Seeking the Soul	16.5	-
13	Forever D'Oro	18	-

Gettysburg led for most of the race, but horses like Creator, Exaggerator and Lani were biding their time before making a move down the stretch.

It was expected that horses on the inside would get out to a fast start, as Destin, Gettysburg and Stradivari led the pack early.

Creator started on the far side of the track at gate No. 13, and the horse was near last place after a poor start.

Coming around the first turn, it appeared that Creator and Lani were both well out of the race. The two had considerable ground to make up, as they failed to stay with the leader group. 

Lani made for the outside and started to make a move before the third turn, and Creator started to gain some momentum on the inside as the pack began to spread out from its initial cluster. 

During the final turn, Creator showed that he had the best finishing speed of the evening. He found some space on the inside as he passed Exaggerator before beginning to cut slightly outside into space.

The final stretch was an impressive feat of physical stamina and strength.

Creator was able to outmuscle Stradivari to get within striking distance of Destin. He then gradually made up lengths on the leader as Lani tried to make a push from the far outside, but it became a two-horse race.

Creator had the extra kick necessary at the end of the race to inch past Destin and into the winner's circle.

The crucial sequence turned out to be during the final turn. Creator and Lani were neck-and-neck, but Creator decided to push his luck on the inside while Lani darted for daylight on the outside.  

There were numerous horses who were expected to challenge Exaggerator, but Creator was certainly a long shot. Tremendous work by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to position Creator for a run down the stretch to clinch the 2016 Belmont Stakes.