Gray is the “in” color at Belmont this year. Three gray colts lead by the Belmont Stakes winner Creator took win, place, and show in the 2016 edition of the third jewel in the Triple Crown.
Creator, who went off at 16-1, came from deep in the pack to chase down and barely edge of Destin at the wire. The favorite and Preakness winner, Exaggerator, finished 11th but was held back by jockey Kent Desormeaux once he knew his horse was not going to win back-to-back Triple Crown races.
This was the first Triple Crown race victory for jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. who is one of the nation’s leading riders.
A different horse won each leg on the Triple Crown this season. A much different result than last year with American Pharoah. But each race was still exciting and had its own drama.