Mucho Macho Man Places 7th at Belmont Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y.  – There wasn’t much said about Mucho Macho Man’s performance in the 143rd running of the Belmont Stakes.

The horse, who entered the final leg of the Triple Crown at 8-1 odds and ran out of the 10th stall, finished seventh. Ruler On Ice, who was running at 24-1 odds, won the 1.5-mile sloppy race and final leg of the Triple Crown in 2:30.88.

“It didn’t go as we hoped,” said Mucho’s trainer Kathy Ritvo. “Ramon said he just wasn’t handling the track.”

“He got a good trip,” added jockey Ramon Dominguez. “He just didn’t have it today.”

Mucho Macho Man, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Preakness Stakes this year, finished right behind Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, who placed sixth.

Animal Kingdom, the favorite at 5-2 entering the race, fell to the back of the back and spent the entire race making a comeback that never happened.

“It’s disappointing not to give the horse a chance to run his race,” Animal Kingdom trainer Graham Motion said. “I thought down the backside we didn’t have any shot at all, and then he started to make that incredible move. But it was asking too much too late.”

In order the final results were Ruler On Ice, Stay Thirsty, Brilliant Speed, Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn’t He Perfect.

"3M" is owned by Dean and Patti Reeves of Suwanee.

News & Notes

• According to the New York Racing Association, a crowd of 55,779 wagered $10 million on Belmont Stakes Day races, a 32.9 percent increase over $7.5 million last year. Attendance was also up 23.3 percent.
• Ruler On Ice’s jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. on the win: “At the half-mile pole, I was hearing whips cracking behind me and I could hear guys chirping to their horses, and all I’m doing is picking up the tempo. At the sixteenth pole, I thought, ‘This is the true Test of the Champion.’ It’s a great feeling.”