Belmont Stakes Results

2011 Belmont Stakes Results - Ruler On Ice leads to Victory

Winner: Ruler On Ice – No.3

Place: Stay Thirsty – No.2

Show: Brilliant Speed – No.5

Forth: Nehro – No.6

Once again Coopers Pick clients made money on every triple crown event calling the place and show positions for the Belmont Stakes. Overall those who bet $50.00 on the stakes made over $200.00. 

Ruler On Ice had never won a race in the Stakes and seemed outclassed in this wet, sloppy, muddy track. However, the horse proved everyone wrong.

‘Was it mere luck for Ruler On Ice to clinch the 143^rd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park?’

‘Was Animal Kingdom unlucky? 

Shackleford gave his best but later faded and came out fifth one-step ahead of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. The first furlong, Shackleford was able to break cleanly but it seemed like take the muddy track was too much for him to handle and had no much stamina to finish the race strong. It seemed like the wet and sloppy track changed everything. 

Animal Kingdom was very unlucky colliding with Monzon just out of the gate almost losing his jockey and he never recovered. 

Ruler On Ice won the 2011 Belmont Stakes and he had never won a stakes race before, could this be fluke? Ruler On Ice – trained by Jose Valdivia Jr. was the right horse in the right place at that particular moment. He ran well off the pace and won by less than a length from Stay Thirsty. There was success in his blood as he was the grandson of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. Stay Thirsty owned by Mike Repole finished a close second. 

Stay Thirsty seemed like a bad bet but remained strong to finish second in the race although he came out last during the Kentucky Derby. Stay Thirsty built so much confidence in the Belmont Stakes and his achievement was well enough for the muddy track despite having a history of bad showings. 

Brilliant Speed could have won the race, taking a lead with three-sixteenths to go, he faded finishing third. Maybe he was not familiar with the track but it was a poor ride for Joel Rosario.

Master of Hounds did not to like the slop but I think we are yet to see more from him.

The 2011 Triple Crown Season has ended but there is still so much more waiting ahead of us in the last 6 months of 2011. Most of these horses still have so much more to prove and show us. There are many things we can learn from the Triple Crown season so as to sharpen and improve our horse betting skills. Horseracing will remain exciting as ever.

Belmont Stakes Picks

All Roads Lead To Belmont Stakes

Get the best in Belmont Stakes Betting Picks by Calling now at 1-888-730-2667 or going to our contact page and asking for the new customer Belmont Picks Special. 

On Saturday June 11, the gates open for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park racing a total of 12 contenders on a 1 ½ mile track. The race known as the ‘Test of the Champion’ will surely have so much at stake having the pervious winners – the Kentucky derby winner and Preakness stakes winner. We will certainly see a lot of surprises as it is the final leg of the Triple Crown 

In the Preakness Stakes, Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby winner gave all his best but Shackleford broke the wire first and was just half a length ahead.

Is there still hope for any of these two to win the Belmont Stakes?

Others say that the Belmont stakes is a race between Animal Kingdom vs. Shackleford and 10 others.

It seemed like Animal Kingdom was racing to the Triple Crown. It could have been so close but the Triple Crown has remained unclaimed for a streak of 23 years. It has become obvious that the race for the Triple Crown is very difficult for the three-year-old thoroughbred American horses to clinch the biggest prize.

For the Belmont Stakes, the favorites include Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, and Mucho Macho Man but are these three a guarantee?

 Animal Kingdom will be making his third start and his previous were impressive although Shackleford did a surprise by pacing the Derby winner by half a length in the Preakness Stakes. Comparing the two, Shackleford would have to rely on making a good start so as to out beat Animal Kingdom as he did previously. Mucho Macho Man has not been making an impressive start and at the Preakness stakes, he came out sixth having lost a shoe during the race.  

Nehro, another prospective contender is versatile and can show anywhere.

However, as a professional punter, I have no doubt that Animal Kingdom and Shackleford will certainly show and the other horses that can show much surprise is Master of Hounds, Santiva, and Brilliant Speed. These horses can surely boost your bankroll and if you did not win anything during the previous events then you surely have to utilize your last chance and get a share of the cake. Although playing boxes can be costly, you will get to win something form the pool.

Straight bets tend to be very costly during major events hence it is wise to focus mainly on boxes. My best bet is for you to include the favorites as well as the other horses listed above and make use of Animal Kingdom and Shackleford as your banker.

Top 10 Greatest Jockeys of All-Time

The Top 10 Greatest Jockeys of All-Time

So what individual characteristics make a good racehorse jockey? 

Well before we get into that lets get you the greatest horse racing picks OF ALL TIME. Call Mike Cooper the most famous horse handicapper of all time after you read this article: 1-888-730-2667

Some say, in order to become great, a jockey has to have a balance of good management, horse sense, skill, and courage. Others will add perhaps a little aggressiveness and even insanity.

While the debate about what makes a jockey great goes on, so does the argument of who is the greatest jock of all time. Let alone a list of the top 10 greatest of all time.

Do you factor in wins? Where do you fit in the number of mounts a rider rode?

Does character make a difference in the meaning of greatness? In addition, how much do you factor in regional versus national success?

For example, jockey Russell Baze holds the record for most career wins with 11,260, but has never won an American Classic Race.

Also, where might you rank Edward "Snapper" Garrison, who was one of the all-time great finishers, and for whom the term "Garrison finish," meaning a finish where the winner comes storming from out of nowhere to win by a small margin at the last moment.

It is a difficult comparison, but I have managed to put together a list, and here are my choices.

No. 10: Jacinto Vasquez. 5,231 career wins. The first American jockey to ever win 5,000 races. Among those, Kentucky Derby winners, Foolish Pleasure in 1975, and Genuine Risk in 1980. Vasquez might have been the greatest rider of fillies in American history, guiding great filly Ruffian for her entire career, as well as Princess Rooney--winner of the first Breeders' Cup Distaff.

No. 9: Kent Desormeaux. 5,324 career wins. Holding the U.S. record for most races won in a single year in 1989, with 598, this Ragin’ Cajun has ridden over 24,000 races, and has been in the irons on three Kentucky Derby winners--Real Quiet in 1998, (also that year’s Preakness Stakes winner), Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000, and aboard Big Brown, in 2008.

No. 8: Angel Cordero. 7,057 career wins. Being the only Puerto Rican to date to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame, Cordero was a fierce competitor always willing to push the envelope of what was legal race riding and what drew a suspension for fouling someone. The winner of six Triple Crown races, and four Breeders' Cup races, Cordero suffered a career-ending injury in 1992.

No. 7: Chris McCarron. 7,141 career wins. McCarron won nine Breeders' Cup races, including a record-tying five Breeders' Cup Classics, and rode six Triple Crown winners, nearly achieving the Triple Crown aboard Alysheba in 1987. The now TVG analyst  dominated California racing for two decades, winning the very competitive Del Mar riding title five times before retiring as thoroughbred racing's all-time leader in purse earnings, with more than $264 million in winnings.

No. 6: Pat Day. 8,083 career wins.  One of the most dominant jockey’s of the 1990s, the recipient of four Eclipse Awards for outstanding jockey of the year won nine Triple Crown races and 12 Breeders' Cup races. More than anyone, except Jerry Bailey. He is the only jockey to win three consecutive Preakness Stakes, having done so from 1994 to 1996.

No. 5: Gary Stevens. 4,888 career wins. Winner of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1996, the always affable yet competitive Stevens won eight Triple Crown races, coming the closest to winning the entire Triple Crown in 1997 aboard Silver Charm. Stevens also won seven Breeders' Cup races. Today he is a horseracing analyst for HRTV and NBC Sports.

No. 4: Willie Shoemaker. 8,833 career wins. The “Shoe” is a giant in horseracing and one of the all-time legends riding a total of 40,350 races and winning the United States Champion Jockey by earnings, a record 10 times before retiring in 1990. The praiseworthy recipient of the coveted George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1951, rode his first professional race in March 1949, winning his first outing a month later before going on the win four Kentucky Derbies, a pair of Preakness Stakes wins, five Belmont wins, and a Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1987 aboard Ferdinand. Who later captured Horse of the Year honors.

No. 3:  Eddie Arcaro. 4,779 career wins. A fierce competitor, a great judge of pace, and a strong finisher on a horse, the six-time winner of the United States Champion Jockey by earnings, won more American Classic Races than any other jockey in history, and is the only rider to have won the Triple Crown twice -- in 1941 on Whirlaway and again in 1948 on Citation. He is tied with Bill Hartack for most Derby wins at five, and has the most wins in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes with six.

No. 2: George Woolf. 721 career wins. With nerves of steel, a great judgment of pace, and the uncanny ability to foresee how a race would play out, the “Iceman” made horse racing history in 1935 when he rode Azucar to victory in the first $100,000 horse race --the Santa Anita Handicap. While only registering 3,784 mounts in his career, the Canadian-born jockey is perhaps best known for his performance in the famous 1938 match race when he rode Seabiscuit to victory over the heavily favored Triple Crown champion War Admiral at Pimlico. A consummate professional, he was the jockey of his era and is still revered by many as one of the greatest talents ever to grace the Sport of Kings.

No. 1: Laffit Pincay. 9,530 career wins. A strong finisher, great strategist, and worthy recipient of the  George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1970, the native Panamanian won the Kentucky Derby in 1984 aboard Swale and also took three consecutive Belmont Stakes between 1982 and 1984. However, he will be most remembered for his days aboard 1973 Santa Anita Derby winner, Sham, as the two battled their archenemy--super horse Secretariat—coming up second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, before a disappointing fifth at Pimlico.

Honorable Mentions:  Russell Baze, Jerry Bailey, Bill Hartack, and Calvin Borel.

Top 10 Racehorses of All time

The Top 10 Greatest Racehorses of All Time

The Sport of Kings has produced many a Thoroughbred worthy of the being voted the best ever to blaze around a racetrack. However, only few have exemplified the greatness that has stood the test of time.

Call for Horse Racing Picks that return on average 20% per week 1-888-730-2667.

Winning the Triple Crown and the America’s most beloved race-The Kentucky Derby—are only two ways that a horse has scribed his or her name in the annuals of Horse Racing History.

But what about those that overcome the odds, facing adversity and winning the hearts of the American working class when the country needed it the most?

Those four-legged beasts have also earned their spot on our list.

We have included the very best of the best without regard to gender or racing surface, and without further adieu, here is our list of the 10 Greatest Race Horses of All Time.

No. 10: Affirmed - 22 wins from 29 starts. The great-great-grandson of Triple Crown winner War Admiral was the eleventh and most recent Triple Crown winner in 1978. He was named Horse of the Year and American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse in 1978. His courage combined with speed and stamina makes him one of the all time great champions.

No. 9: Seattle Slew - 14 wins from 17 starts. Winner of the 1977 Triple Crown, he remains he only horse to do so while undefeated. Remembered for  his "war dance" (tiptoeing on the track before his races), and his battles with Affirmed, Seattle Slew was honored in 1977,  being named  US Champion three-year-old as well as winning the Eclipse Award for American Horse of the Year.

No. 8: Zenyatta – 19 wins from 20 starts. The only filly to make our list, Zenyatta is the American record-holder for consecutive victories without defeat in unrestricted races. During her career, she won over $7 million, making her the all-time North American female money-earner. A massive filly, she was a picture of perfection over varying racing surfaces and circuits, winning on dirt and all-weather tracks. Named American Horse of the year in 2010, she broke three records and tied several others. She will also be remembered as a graceful star, seeming to take pleasure in her walks from the paddock to the track, high-stepping and nodding to her fans along the way.

No. 7: Dr. Fager - 18 wins from 22 starts. There's fast, faster, and Dr. Fager. Twice named champion sprinter, and once Horse of the Year, he was among the best from 7 furlongs to 1 1/4 miles. "The Doctor" was the only horse who ever held four titles in one year. That year was 1968, and he was voted the Horse of the Year, champion handicap horse, champion sprinter, and co-champion grass horse.

No. 6: Citation - 32 wins from 45 starts. He was the first horse in history to win one million dollars at six years old and was the eighth American Triple Crown winner. As a three-year old in 1948, Citation had posted a 15-race winning streak and after sustaining an injury that kept him out of the 1949 racing season, came back to race in 1950, to win his 16th race in a row. A streak that would stand until Cigar equaled the feat in 1994-96 and then Zenyatta surpassing the mark by winning her 19th in a row in 2010.

No. 5: Kelso - 39 wins from 63 starts. "Mighty" Kelso, as he was aptly called, is the only gelding on our list. Named Horse of the Year an astonishing five times from 1960-1964, a feat that has never be matched, he is perhaps the most durable and fearless of all the horses on our list, taking on any contender that came his way. Kelso competed for eight seasons, from 1959 to 1966, and as his career raced on, so did his popularity.

No. 4: Spectacular Bid - 26 wins from 30 starts. The “Bid" as he was called, set numerous time records during his career and won 12 consecutive races. But he would be denied the  Triple Crown in 1979, coming up short at the Belmont Stakes by what most say was a  poor ride by jockey Ron Franklin. A threat to break the track record every time he rounded the racetrack, he never lost between 7 furlongs and 1¼ miles. His astounding 1:57.4 in the 1980 Strub still stands as the record for 10 furlongs at Santa Anita.

No. 3:  Seabiscuit -33 wins from 89 starts. After failing to win in his first 10 races, this bay colt was sold for the mere price of $8,000, but later became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression. The most memorable race that Seabiscuit ran was on November 1, 1938. Known as the "Match of the Century,” the then-five year old ran against 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral on the 1 and 3/16 miles at Pimlico Race Course. With over 40,000 at the track and some 40 million listening on the radio, Seabiscuit pulled away in the closing stretch, finally winning by four clear lengths. As a result, Seabiscuit was named "Horse of the Year" for 1938.

No. 2: Man o' War - 20 wins from 21 starts. During his career just after World War I, Man o' War was the first great race horse to really capture the public's imagination and raise horse racing in the public consciousness. His lone loss, ironically to a horse named Upset, came during his 2-year-old season in the 1919, but cannot spoil an otherwise dominating career from this strapping stallion.

No. 1: Secretariat - 16 wins from 21 starts. Sired by Bold Ruler, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years in 1973, while setting new race records in two of the three events – a win by 12 furlongs in the Belmont Stakes and an unofficial track record at Pimlico--that still stand today. In 2005, Secretariat was the only non-human to make ESPN’s list of "Greatest Sports Performances" (by individual athletes), with his run at Belmont ranking second. Perhaps no other horse has brought as much excitement and attraction to the sport as this star power stallion.

Honorable Mentions: War Admiral, Cigar, John Henry, Native Dancer, and Bold Ruler.