Summer Bird Beats 11-1 Odds at Belmont

This was a Belmont for the Birds. It was Summer Bird, not Mine That Bird and jockey Calvin Borel, who came roaring down the long stretch and won the final jewel of the Triple Crown today. Ending Borel's bid to become the first jockey to win a personal Triple Crown, Summer Bird beat 11-1 odds, blowing past Dunkirk and Mine That Bird to give jockey Kent Desormeaux a Belmont Stakes victory he desperately wanted.

With the crowd cheering on the leaders in stretch, Mine That Bird made a huge move outside and took a brief lead over Dunkirk. But it was Summer Bird who pulled away for a 2 3/4-length victory over Dunkirk. Mine That Bird was third in the field of 10 3-year-olds. "I thought I was home free," Borel said.
(More Belmont Stakes stories.)