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.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

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,” Sáes 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.”