WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay’s Creator weaved his way between horses in the Belmont Park stretch to catch and pass Destin in the final strides of the $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1) to capture the third leg of the Triple Crown by a nose.
The finish was one of the closest in the 148 year history of the race and gave Creator’s backers vindication after his troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby (G1) five weeks ago.
With less than a quarter-mile to run, it looked as though Creator might not be able to unleash his patented late charge. As has been the norm, Creator was near the back of the field early, but began to progress nicely under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and was in sixth after a mile in 1:37.96.
But Ortiz ran into trouble at the top of the stretch. Destin had taken the lead from a fading Gettysburg, and Creator was boxed in from all sides while looking for somewhere to go. When a hole finally opened up at the furlong pole, Creator forged through and ultimately ran down Destin in the final strides to wrap up the win in 2:28.51.
“He was coming; I just had nowhere to go,” said Ortiz after his first Belmont Stakes win. “When he got clear, he started running. The trainer (Steve Asmussen) told me he’s going to love the mile and a half and he was right. It’s a great feeling. It’s very, very important for me and I’m very happy.”
Creator, a 3-year-old son of Tapit out of the 2-time Peruvian champion mare Morena, became racing’s newest millionaire with the classic victory. His earnings now stand at $1,568,320 with a record of 3-4-1 in 10 starts, including a win in the Arkansas Derby (G1).