Palace Malice takes Belmont Stakes

Palace Malice bedeviled the advance at the top of the amplitude and won the $1 million, 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes to become the third champ in three Triple Crown contest this year.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Mike Smith, Snapbacks Wholesale Palace Malice ensured that neither Kentucky Derby-winner Orb nor Preakness best Oxbow would end the year with two-thirds of US collapsed racing's coveted treble.

Oxbow, ridden by Gary Stevens and accomplished by D. Wayne Lukas, accomplished additional while Orb, whose backward assemblage beneath jockey Joel Rosario wasn't enough, was third.

The celebration in the 145th active of the Belmont was Smith's additional in the chase commonly dubbed the Test of the Champion. He piloted Drosselmeyer to achievement in 2010.

It was abnormally candied afterwards the adept jockey's 2012 division of Triple Crown frustration, if he accomplished additional in all three races.

Palace Malice went off at allowance of 13-1, but Smith said the best ambit compared to the added Triple Crown contest and across-the-board turns of the Belmont Park clue gave Palace Malice a adventitious to shine, as he bootless to do if he achromatic to 12th afterwards ambience the aboriginal clip in the Kentucky Derby.

More adequate after the blinkers he wore at Churchill Downs, Brand Snapback Hats        Palace Malice was in his aspect throughout, Smith said.

"Today, the accomplished time he's just adequate the cruise and sucking all the air in," said Smith, abacus that his arise had no botheration with the distance.

"The accomplished key was accepting him into that accent he was in," Smith said. "He's bred to run all day."

Frac Daddy and Freedom Child set the aboriginal pace, with Oxbow not far off admitting what Stevens alleged "suicidal fractions".

Stevens took Oxbow to the foreground on the backstretch, but by the time they confused into the far about-face Palace Malice was arduous and Orb was alpha a run from far aback in the 14-horse field.

Heading into the final straight, Palace Malice took the advance from Oxbow and powered to a 3 1/4-length triumph.

"It's huge. It's huge," Pletcher said. "We consistently acquainted like he had a big one in him. We were just cat-and-mouse for it to assuredly develop."

Stevens was captivated that Oxbow captivated on for second, calling him "one of the bravest horses I?ve anytime ridden."

McGauhey said Orb, who went off as the 2-1 favorite, just had too abundant to do at the end.

"He fabricated a acceptable run about the turn, Kids Snapback Caps but we had accustomed up so much," he said. "The acceleration horses captivated on up front, and we just couldn?t bolt them."

Eleven horses accept completed the Triple Crown ambit of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, but the endure was Affirmed in 1978.