A Look Back: 1997 Belmont Stakes

Touch Gold (left) wins 1997 Belmont Stakes under a masterful ride from jockey Chris McCarron, denying Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm the Triple Crown. (Photo courtesy of BelmontStakes.com - You can see a video of this race by clicking here)

The 1997 Belmont Stakes provided new racing fans with something they had not been accustomed to: A Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner attempting to become just the 12th Triple Crown winner. This time, it was Bob Baffert trainee Silver Charm, who broke from post two under Gary Stevens against a field of six others, including rival Free House and Touch Gold, who may have won the Preakness three weeks before had he not stumbled out of the gate.

The race held to form from the break, as Touch Gold and Free House went for the lead, while Stevens kept Silver Charm close early, sitting second or third through the first six furlongs until jockey Chris McCarron took Touch Gold back up the backstretch and dropped him out of the lead. Turning for home, it looked as though Silver Charm had the race to himself, with Free House on the outside just making his move. That is, until McCarron sent Touch Gold wide on the far turn, prompting track announcer Tom Durkin to proclaim his return to contention with a rousing cry of "Touch Gold swings into action on the far outside!"

With one furlong to go, Stevens and Silver Charm had Free House, who eventually finished third, put away; but couldn't hold off McCarron and Touch Gold, who had enough left to pass the Derby and Preakness winner coming to the finish, eliciting another historic Durkin call. "And Touch Gold will deny him the crown by a heartbreaking half-length!"

The 1997 Belmont was the last of McCarron's six Triple Crown wins, while Stevens would gain revenge the following year, spoiling the Triple Crown bid of Baffert trainee Real Quiet with Victory Gallop, who finished second in both the Derby and Preakness. Stevens would also reunite with Baffert to take the 2001 Belmont aboard Horse of the Year Point Given.