Kentucky-bred Dornoch rose to the historic occasion of the first Belmont Stakes (G1) to be run at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Saturday, June 8, winning the third leg of the Triple Crown in tenacious fashion under jockey Luis Saez.
Pace-pressing Dornoch clung to the lead late in the final eighth of a mile over Saratoga’s storied main track, holding at bay a rally from Mindframe and Sierra Leone to win the 156th running of the $2 million Belmont Stakes. This year’s race was contested at 1 ¼ miles instead of the traditional 1 ½ miles because of Saratoga’s track configuration. With the win, Dornoch became the 106th Kentucky-bred to win the Belmont Stakes.
Trained by Danny Gargan for West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables, the son of Good Magic became the second Classic winner for his dam, Puca, who also produced Mage, winner of last year’s Kentucky Derby (G1). Dornoch is the first Grade 1 winner for his trainer.
“I’m still just taking it in. It’s pretty exciting,” Gargan said. “It’s a special thing just to be a part of these races, not to mention to win one with a horse your bought at Keeneland and have had its whole [racing] life. I spend so much time with him and my staff has done such a great job with him.
“He’s not an easy horse to train and it’s not easy to get in this kind of situation,” Gargan added. “I’ve been blessed to have the right owners. Randy has been with me since the beginning. He and Dean Reeves wanted me to start training 2-year-olds and focus on them instead of the claiming game, and I have to thank them.”
Dornoch entered the Belmont Stakes off a troubled 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Debry where he was shuffled back early and checked several times before making a mild late bid, finishing well behind fellow Kentucky-bred winner Mystik Dan. Earlier in the year, Dornoch won the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) at Gulfstream Park and finished fourth behind Sierra Leone in the Blue Grass S. (G1).
“I never lost faith in him,” Gargan said. “He had tremendous works up here. He’s a big, powerful horse. You just have to be patient and not lose focus and just grind away, and hopefully you get lucky and win one of these.”