With I'll Have Another out of the 2012 Belmont Stakes due to suffering a tendon injury, the 144th running at Belmont lost a lot of its shine since there would be no chance of a Triple Crown horse. The crowd was still over 80,000 plus to watch the race, and they were not disappointed in what they saw.
Paynter looked like they were going to win the race and do so by going wire-to-wire, but they fell short to finish in second place. On the first turn it was Paynter who had the lead as they broke to the inside right away to have a three length lead over Union Rags with the favorite Dullahan right behind.
Rounding the final turn, Paynter continued to hold their lead and were followed by Unstoppable U, My Adonis and Union Rags not far behind. From the inside rail Union Rags made their push during the last 100 yards to sneak past Paynter and win the Belmont.
For more on the Belmont Stakes and the race for the Triple Crown, stay with this StoryStream and check out SB Nation's horse racing blog And Down the Stretch They Come. There, you'll also find a beginner's guide to following horse racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.