Belmont Stakes 2019: What Video Replay Shows About Sir Winston's Win
June 9, 2019
Joevia led the 10-horse field for much of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, but Triple Crown debutant Sir Winston surged late and held off race favorite Tacitus for the victory in Elmont, New York.
With an official time of 2:28.30, Sir Winston joined Country House and War of Will as a Triple Crown winner in 2019.
The victory was far from a wire-to-wire triumph, though.
Sir Winston broke out of the No. 7 post but settled near the rail heading into the clubhouse turn. Trained by Mark Casse, the chestnut colt patiently waited for the right moment much later.
In the meantime, Joevia ran as most anticipated, with a pace-setting sprint out of the gate. Granted, the long shot was in contention much longer than past performance suggested while Tax closely tracked the first-time Triple Crown runner.
The duo scampered side-by-side through the final turn, but Tax, Preakness runner-up Everfast and Preakness winner War of Will steadily began to fade.
At that perfect moment, Sir Winston took advantage, moved to the right and overtook the entire field.
"We're very proud of him," Casse said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "He's kind of what our operation represents. We develop horses. The first two times he ran, he got beat 10 or 20 lengths. I can remember having a conversation with Mr. Farmer up at Saratoga, and I said 'Don't give up on him.'"
Tacitus, who opened as a slim favorite, had a tremendous close to the 1 ½-mile race. Unfortunately for trainer Bill Mott and jockey Jose Ortiz, a wide trip proved costly. Tacitus couldn't quite overcome the gap Sir Winston enjoyed on the homestretch.
War of Will, also a Casse-trained horse, couldn't add to the list of horses with Preakness Stakes and Belmont victories.
"I could see where War of Will was struggling a little bit," he said. "He looked like maybe he was a little flat today."
The final order following Sir Winston read Tacitus, Joevia and Tax. Master Fencer and Spinoff checked in at fifth and sixth, with Everfast, Intrepid Heart, War of Will and Bourbon War completing the field.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.