As usual, Belmont Stakes Day was full of surprises. At least the weather was lovely, in the low-to-mid seventies with a breeze. The 2008 Belmont was a nightmare with temperature in the mid-nineties and high humidity. The rain bucketed down on Friday, but the staff did a terrific job. The dirt track was fast most of the day, and the turf was yielding.

Race 1: I often don't bet the first race of the day, because I like to see how the track's doing. The track was listed as "good", although I thought it was better than that. I really liked Inger Management here, so I bet him across the board, with Justin P. as my long shot show bet. Inger Management ran a good steady race, slowly grinding down the other horses. Justin P. didn't do well at the start, but improved as the race went on for a disappointing 5th. I'd like to see him go longer.

Race 2: I had Speight of Hand across the board and Just Ben for the place spot, but Just Ben set a strong pace and was the better horse. Speight of Hand was checked coming out of the gate. I thought it was all over, but was impressed by the way he pulled himself together, fought, and won the place spot.

Race 3: Originally, I picked Bimini here, with a desire to look at Wanted Alive and Molten Lava. I didn't like the look of either of the latter two, so I stuck with Bimini across the board. Mistake on my part. Although most of the horses were difficult loading into the gate, Convocation had the race in the bag from the minute he got out of the gate. He was settled on the rail, picked off horses, and drew away. It looked like Clean Shot and Bimini were a dead heat for the show spot, but, in the end, it was determined that Clean Shot took third and Bimini fourth. Oh, well.

Race 4: On paper, I made my choices by trainer: Spurred, trained by David Donk, across the board; Slam Dunk, trained by Graham Motion to place; Radical Sabbatical, trained by Barclay Tagg, to show. Paddock-side, however, I thought Pennington (trained by Michael Martin) looked sensational, so I added a bet on him across the board. That was a good choice, because Pennington wired it. He was challenged a bit here and there, but it wasn't a question at any point that he wouldn't win. Spurred got stuck in traffic and wound up fifth. He's better than that. I lost track of Slam Dunk in the huddle of horses, and have no idea how he ran; but he came in a disappointing sixth. Radical Sabbatical came in, exactly as predicted, in third.

Race 5: Donk had another horse in this turf race, So It Goes, which I bet across the board. I couldn't figure out another horse. I considered and dismissed Western Influence, My Man Lars, and Hanging by a Thread. I wound up with only So It Goes, because that's all I came up with by the time I had to hit the betting window. So It Goes ran really well, far back, edged up in spite of traffic problems, split horses, but couldn't run down the winner, Sette E Mezzo. Rock in Bage grabbed the show spot. Tobruk stumbled after the finish line. His jockey jumped off as a precaution, and once the horse was jockey-free,he scampered back home like a naughty child. As far as I've been able to find out, he's unhurt.

Race 6 -- True North Handicap: Benny the Bull is out of retirement. I truly enjoy this horse, so I bet him across the board. I've always liked both Silver Edition and Desert Key, but I didn't think today was their day. I was interested in Two Step Salsa, but he was so hot by the time he hit the post parade, I passed. I planned to stay away from the favorite, Fabulous Strike, but he looked so good that I bet him, too, across the board. He ran a fabulous race, despite SixThirteen's shot forward after a weird air break. Benny broke poorly from the gate, but, in spite of that, he nearly caught up to Fabulous Strike, but couldn't quite do it. Silver Edition did better than I expected, snagging the show spot. The race was run in 1.07.4 seconds, a blistering speed.

Race 7 -- Just My Game Stakes: For fillies and mares on the turf and one on f my favorites. I had Carribean Sunset, trained by Christophe Clement, across the board. I wanted I Lost My Choo in the show spot, but she was scratched, so I replaced her with Princess Jess, and put Forever Together in the place slot. I liked the look of both Captain's Lover (the South African filly) and Modern Look. I wound up not using them in my picks because Modern Lover got very hot, and her sides heaved before she even got to the post parade. Captain's Lover was taken out to the track early, kept away from the others, and had cotton stuffed in her ears. I wanted to look at her without betting on her this time out. That behavior is a little too high-strung for my taste. The winner was a horse name Diamondrella, a horse out of Great Britain. She had her act together, waiting patiently, and accelerating into the lead even while six wide. It was a terrific ride from jockey Rajiv Maragh. Forever Together and My Princess Jess wound up where I hoped, in second and third, with Carribean Sunset fourth. She'd worn herself out by arguing with her jockey, who didn't want her to pull ahead too early, and she faded. Captain's Lover came in fifth, and Modern Look last.

Race 8 -- Woody Stephens Stakes: I thought I had this one all figured out, but hey, it's horse racing. I wanted Munnings, Hull, and Regal Ransom across the board and as a boxed trifecta with the enigmatic Hello Broadway as an additional longshot show pick. Well Regal Ransom was scratched gosh darn it, so I replaced him with Everyday Heroes. Even though This One's For Phil was the favorite, I passed. Munnings ran an incredible race after a rocky start. He settled back, and, when asked for more by Johnny Velazquez, shot through a hole and got it done in 1.20 and 3/5 seconds. Really thrilling. Everyday Heroes ran hard and steadily, and nabbed the place spot. Kensei edged out Hull for the show spot. While it was more than Hull's day to just be pretty, he faded before the end of the race and only ended up fourth. The favorite was fifth, and Hello Broadway was seventh. I swear that horse was in a different race today, and it wouldn't have surprised me at all if he'd gone off in the wrong direction. He just wasn't interested. He's an interesting horse. When he shows up, he's there 100%. When he doesn't, he might as well be in a different time zone.

Race 9 -- The Acorn Stakes. I had no clue going in who I wanted to play. I've liked Funny Moon, but she didn't look like today was her day, so I wound up passing. I really liked Justwhistledixie, so I put some place money on her. Four Gifts won the Eight Belles Stakes on Derby day, but she didn't look particularly impressive here I wound up with only Justwhistledixie in the place spot, and that's where she landed. The race was won by Gabby's Golden Gal, who went all out and wired it. This is a mile race on the dirt, so wiring it is no easy task. In fact, she worked so hard that she overheated. They immediately had to unsaddle her, hose her down, get her re-hydrated, and even give her a tranquilizer. Although she didn't return to the Winner's Circle to get her photo taken, she remained on her feet, although a bit agitated and disoriented. Follow-up queries have received the response "she's recovering' without details. I hope that's accurate, because she's a horse to watch with an eye towards the Breeders' Cup.

Race 10 -- Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap Stakes. Could the name be any longer? I mean, really! Anyway my ten-year-old buddy Better Talk Now was entered in here, so, of course, I bet him across the board. I've always liked Wesley, but he seemed distracted today, so I passed. I've also always liked Court Vision, Cosmonaut, and Cowboy Cal, but I didn't like 'em as much today, so I passed. I just stuck with Better Talk Now. He was outrun by the winner, Gio Ponti, and the place horse, Marsh Side, but he did what he always does -- grinds it out to a place on the board,this time hitting the show spot. I love this horse. Horses who stay on the track year after year doing their thing are great for racing, because spectators get to know the horse over time. If Better Talk Now was a hockey player, he'd be known as a "grinder" -- usually not in the spotlight, but always delivering, and essential to the sport.

Race 11 -- The Belmont Stakes. The Big Race. I had Mine That Bird across the board, and Dunkirk in the place and show spots. I also had a bet on Chocolate Candy for the show spot. I considered Flying Private, who did poorly in the Derby, but hit fourth in the Preakness, but it didn't look like his day, so I ultimately passed. There was a lot of talk about Charitable Man and Miner's Escape,but, pretty as those boys were, they didn't do it for me. I ignored Summer Bird, as I have throughout the Triple Crown.

And that was my mistake. Dunkirk took the lead early, and that shocked me. My point of view on Dunkirk was that he's a talented horse, but needed to get his mental game in place, and I didn't think he'd get his mental game on par with his physical talent until Saratoga with an eye towards the Breeders' Cup. I was surprised that he kept it together so early in such a long race at Belmont, and worried he'd wear himself out. I worried that Mine That Bird and his jockey were arguing, and that would work against him, but it looked like he'd get the job done anyway. And yet, there came Mine That Bird's half brother, Summer Bird, challenging, and then defeating everyone. It was a terrific ride, and, while I'm still on ready to climb on the bandwagon for this horse, he definitely was the best horse in the field that day, and deserved to inherit his daddy's crown over his half-brother. Summer Bird won, Dunkirk came in second, and Mine That Bird Came in third.

Immediately, the analysts jumped all over Calvin Borel for making his move too early. My sense was that he made his move too late. Yes, Mine That Bird's best races have happened when he's been taken far back and made one big run. However, in this case, I think the horse was more perceptive than the people around him. He's a Birdstone colt -- he's got the stamina for distance. My view, in this particular race, was that the HORSE knew best when to move, and letting him go rather than holding him back might have worked. However, Borel was on the horse and I wasn't, and it's very easy to make the calls from a comfortable chair in hindsight. And Summer Bird was in such excellent form, bringing not just an A Game, but an A+ game, that it probably wouldn't have mattered how perfectly timed anyone else's run was. I think it was a case where the only horse would could have beaten Summer Bird was his dad, Birdstone. Or Secretariat.

Prior to the race, analysts were jumping all over Borel for a myriad of reasons. One was that he hadn't raced since May 31. He had a great May, an astonishing number of wins. Another complaint was that the Belmont was the only race he rode that day, and he's never ridden the track before. I say, whatever his reasons, respect them and get a life. Stop gossiping about him and concentrate on your own stuff.

The muttering that really ticked me off was that if Borel had ridden Mine That Bird rather than Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, Mine That Bird would have won. Bull pucky. Rachel Alexandra is an astonishing horse and it was her day to win. Mike Smith gave Mine That Bird a magnificent ride. Had the race gone on to Belmont length, yes, I think Mine That Bird, with Smith up, would have beaten her. But on the Pimlico track on Preakness Day, it was Rachel Alexandra's race. Had Mine That Bird won the Belmont Stakes, and gone 1-2-1 in the Triple Crown, the muttering would have risen to a screech, and people would have sobbed that they were robbed of a Triple Crown winner.

Honestly, I don't believe I'll see another Triple Crown winner in my lifetime. Every year, I hope I'm proven wrong, but until breeders start breeding for endurance in addition to speed, or those who make the rules destroy the meaning of the Triple Crown by spreading out the race, we won't have another one.

Oh, yeah, we have two more races on the card.

Race 12: A really short race, at six furlongs, after a really long race. My original choices were Brave Soul and Storm Hope across the board with Rock and Rune a my longshot show bet. However, since both Storm Hope and Rock and Rune were scratched, I stuck with Brave Soul, who lived up to his name and won. He was challenged a bit, but each time, simply dug down and gave more. Nice horse, nice race.

Race 13: My original choices were Manchild and Golden Guska across the board with Skybay and One Lucky Date as longshot show picks. If Wanda's Double got in, that would be my top choice across the board. Wanda's Double was in the race, and Manchild was scratched. I took WD and GG across the board, and dumped the longshots. Wanda's Double ran a wonderfully steady race, pulling off to win, and Golden Guska held on for a show spot

A novelist couldn't have written a better Belmont, with one horse beating his half-brother after their sire snatched the Tripe Crown away from the popular Smarty Jones. I'd like to see the two colts re-matched at the Travers and in the Breeders' Cup. I still prefer Mine That Bird, but I'm curious to see them run against each other again. What interests me even more than those two horses, however,are the trainers, Chip Woolley (Mine That Bird) and Tim Ice (Summer Bird). Neither was well-known outside his home track prior to this year's Triple Crown. Woolley was established in New Mexico; Ice has been training on his own for about a year. I'll be following the trainers even more closely than the horses to see how their careers develop and change after this opportunity.

I wont' get my wish to watch Dunkirk in Saratoga or in the Breeder's Cup. He's just undergone surgery for a non-displaced condylar fracture in his left hind cannon bone and will probably be out until next year - IF he ever returns. It's a broken leg, but the type of break that can be re-set with the insertion of a screw and heal. However, there is a loss of ability, even when it heals well, usually in the single digit percentile. But it means we'll never see Dunkirk's full potential. Yes, horses can come back from this type of injury, and they can do very well, and let's hope Dunkirk is one of those. Dunkirk was sired by Unbridled's Song, who also sired Eight Belles, the filly who was euthanized last year after her second place Derby finish, when she broke her legs in such a way that they couldn't heal. I like Unbridled Song's progeny a lot, but they have a high rate of injury.

Another Triple Crown season is in the books. Now it's forward to Del Mar and Saratoga, and all the prep races for the Breeder's Cup.

--Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in fiction and non-fiction. This is her 10th year covering the Triple Crown. Her middle grade horse racing mystery DIXIE DUST RUMORS was released under the Jenny Storm name: http://www.devonellingtonwork.com/jennystorm.html .