The third and final jewel of the 2023 Triple Crown series has been won by Arcangelo.
Arcangelo won the 155th Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., edging second-place Forte and third-place Tapit Trice in the 1 1/2 mile race, the longest of the Triple Crown series.
Forte was the initial favorite with 2-1 odds and made a significant late push as well to finish second, but not close enough to Arcangelo. Tapit Trice opened with 11-1 odds.
National Treasure (5-1), the winner of the recent Preakness Stakes, led the majority of the race but ran out of steam with three furlongs to go. That's when Arcangelo rounded out the corner on National Treasure's left-hand side and strolled to the finish line, followed by the three-horse tangle right behind vying for better placements.
Javier Castellano of Venezuela jockeyed Arcangelo for the win, his first ever in the Belmont. Castellano also jockeyed Mage to victory in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, his first ever win in that race, too, which has capped off quite the year for the 45-year-old.
Jena Antonucci also made history as the first female trainer to have a horse win the Belmont.
“Never give up," Antonucci said in a post-race interview. "And if you can’t find a seat at the table, make your own table.”
Arcangelo will collect $900,000 in prize money for finishing first. The total purse for the race was $1.5 million, the same amount as the Preakness.
