If the Big Apple is indeed “The City That Never Sleeps” and always takes care of its own, 3-year-old colt Mo Donegal and his owner Mike Repole will be toasted into the wee hours and beyond after their win Saturday in the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York.
Mo Donegal, the 5–2 post time favorite, came from just off the pace and charged to the front in mid-stretch to capture the third jewel of the thoroughbred horseracing’s Triple Crown and set off a raucous celebration at Belmont Park, New York City’s cathedral of horseracing.
Mo Donegal, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., covered the 1.5 miles of the Belmont Stakes in 2 minutes, 28.28 seconds, beating Nest, a filly with odds of 5–1, to the finish line by three lengths. Both the winner and the runner up are trained by Todd Pletcher, who captured his fourth Belmont Stakes and the eighth Triple Crown race of his career….