Belmont Wrap
If a horse swept the spring classics, writes Tim Layden:
A Triple Crown would be a moment — a beautiful, lingering, memorable moment. But on the Sunday morning following the Belmont in which the Triple Crown drought ended, racing would awaken precisely where it was a month before the Derby.
And that would be okay. We’re onward to the second season, regardless.
Palace Malice earned a Beyer speed figure of 98 for winning the Belmont, continuing the trend of 100 or lower Belmont BSFs that began in 2008.
Nick Kling notes an unintentional tribute in the race’s final time of 2:30.70:
Secretariat’s winning final time of 2:24 was at least 31-lengths better than what Palace Malice did Saturday.
Every quarter of the 2013 Belmont was slower than the one before, with Palace Malice running the final quarter in :27.58 (chart). That’s the slowest Belmont quarter (any quarter) of the past 10 years — the next slowest is the :26.98 final quarter of the 2004 Belmont, won by Birdstone. The fastest final quarter of the past 10 years was recorded in the 2007 edition, when Curlin (Palace Malice’s sire) and Rags to Riches dueled down the stretch in :23.83.
