Dornoch holds off Mindframe for 17-1 upset in Belmont Stakes
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Dornoch needed three tries to get his first Grade 1 win, and it happened when he carried 17-1 odds in the $2 million Belmont Stakes.
Earlier in his career Dornoch had won three races in a row. He broke his maiden at Keeneland in October and moved to the Remsen (G2) for Kentucky Derby hopefuls that are still 2-year-olds. In 2024 he added the Fountain of Youth (G2), and that made him one of the highest-ranked contenders for the run for the roses at that time.
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However, his next two races were not what was expected by trainer Danny Gargan, and the ownership group that includes Randy Hill and former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth. In his final prep race for the Derby in the Blue Grass (G1), he finished fourth at odds of 5-2.
"I said to my parents, to Danny and (jockey) Luis (Sáez), let’s run our race today, let's get the lead, and if anybody can beat us, let them come and get us,” Hill said.
“I'll put this up there with anything I've ever done,” Werth added. “This is the top of sports. Horse racing is the most underrated sport there is. This is as big as it gets. The emotions you feel when you play in a playoff game, when you win a World Series game, it is the top of sports, and this is where we’re at.”
Expectations were high for Dornoch, who is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. On the first Saturday in May, he got far behind and only could come back to finish 10th.
Gargan then sent his horse from Kentucky to Saratoga. They skipped the Preakness to point to the third leg of the Triple Crown five weeks later.
“We trained him and tried to do everything the best we could,” Gargan said. “He was training phenomenal. He worked great here. We got overlooked a little bit, because he ran one bad race.”
Dornoch was able to contest the early lead, which was the way that he won three times. Ridden by his regular jockey Sáez, the son of Good Magic raced between one and two lengths behind the Preakness winner Seize the Gray with fractions of 22.99, 47.25 and 1:10.67. When the leader began to fade, Dornoch got in front by a short margin with a quarter-mile left to run.
Down the stretch, Dornoch faced a challenge from the Todd Pletcher trainee Mindframe, who had won the only two starts of his career by large margins. With 5-1 odds Mindframe actually took the lead, and they battled down the stretch.
“The horse broke pretty sharp,” Sáez said. “He got the position we were looking for. He did everything right. He came to the top of the stretch. I still have a lot of horse, and he fights. He fights to get there first. He’s a horse that really has a big heart, and man, he ran the perfect race.”
Dornoch was close to the rail. Mindframe was getting tired, and his inexperience showed as he veered out and then back in nearing the finish. In the end Dornoch prevailed by a half-length.
“It’s just his third start and first time at this distance,” Pletcher said. “First time he’s really been challenged. All the things we were worried about. If he could have run a straight course down the lane, that would have been the difference. Irad felt like he just lost that little bit of focus. He was still coming at the end.”
A total of $1.2 million was added to the earnings of Dornoch, and his supporters at the betting windows got $37.40, 17.60 and 8.10 for a $2 across-the-board wager. Mindframe completed the $2 exacta that paid $326.50. The 8-5 favorite Sierra Leone made his usual late rally and finished 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner, producing a $2 trifecta of $946.
Gargan, who is a veteran trainer with 432 wins in his career, got his biggest victory in the Belmont. For one day, he moved to the top of his profession.
“I never lost faith in him,” Gargan said of Dornoch. “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.”