A Look Back: 1998 Belmont Stakes

Victory Gallop and Gary Stevens catch Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet at the wire to once again deny trainer Bob Baffert the Triple Crown for a second straight year. (Photo courtesy of BelmontStakes.com - You can see a video of this race by clicking here)

After missing out on the Triple Crown by just three-quarters of a length the year before with Silver Charm, trainer Bob Baffert returned to Belmont Park eleven years ago today with a chance at redemption in the form of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, who faced ten rivals in the 130th edition of the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes, a race that turned out to be a classic for better or worse. Chief among the competition was Victory Gallop, second to Real Quiet in both the Derby and Preakness, and determined not to play Alydar to Real Quiet's Affirmed.

The race started with slow fractions set by Chilito, with Grand Slam a pressing second and Kent Desormeaux keeping Real Quiet in mid-pack through the backstretch run. With about six furlongs left to run, Desormeaux made his move on Real Quiet, coming to the leaders on the far turn. Real Quiet passed Chilito and Grand Slam just before the top of the stretch, and soon had a four-length lead with one furlong to go, prompting Belmont Park track announcer Tom Durkin to rise to the occasion once again:

"He's coming to the eighth pole! Twenty years in the waiting, one furlong to go! But here comes his rival, Victory Gallop, as they come to the final sixteenth! Kent Desormeaux IMPLORING Real Quiet to hold on! Victory Gallop a final surge! It's going to be very close! Here's the wire...IT'S TOO CLOSE TO CALL!!!!!!!!!!! Was it Real Quiet, or was it Victory Gallop? A picture is worth a thousand words...this photo is worth five million dollars! Oh no! History, in the waiting, on hold, until we get that photo finish!"

Gary Stevens, the jockey on Victory Gallop, had timed his move just right, starting it midway around the far turn to draw within six lengths of Real Quiet, and kept gaining ground down the stretch on the outside. In fact, Desormeaux pulled Real Quiet to the right so his horse would see his hard-charging adversary, a move that was addressed after the race by New York Racing Association steward Dave Hicks. Hicks stated that had Real Quiet won the race, he would have been disqualified for Desormeaux impeding Victory Gallop's path in the stretch. Real Quiet finished second, beaten a nose, and Desormeaux continues to be criticized to this day for moving too soon. Both horses went on to enjoy moderate success in their four-year-old seasons; with Real Quiet winning the Pimlico Special and Hollywood Gold Cup, while Victory Gallop took the Whitney Handicap in 1999 before both horses were forced to retire due to injuries.