Summer Bird streaked down the stretch to overtake Kentucky Derby hero Mine That Bird and win the 141st running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Summer Bird with Kent Desormeaux aboard, won the mile and a half race going away by nearly three lengths in 2:27.54. Dunkirk, co-second choice with John Velazquez up, finished second ahead of 6-5 favorite Mine That Bird, who made his anticipated charge earlier than expected. Mine That Bird surged in front as he rounded the turn for the stretch but after taking the lead faded at the end. “I felt I was on the best horse coming in,” said Mine That Bird jockey Calvin Borel, who was trying to register a unique jockey Triple Crown sweep after steering filly Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Preakness. “We just got outrun.” Charitable Man finished fourth of the 10 runners. The victory was especially sweet for Desormeaux, who had won three Kentucky Derby crowns and two Preakness Stakes but had tasted bitter disappointment in the Belmont. Desormeaux entered 0-for-6 in the race, twice failing in bids to complete the Triple Crown. Last year he pulled up Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown and finished last as a longshot Da' Tara prevailed in the Belmont. In 1998, Victory Gallop edged him at the finish to deny him a Triple Crown sweep aboard Real Quiet. Le Havre wins French trainer Jean-Claude Rouget capped a remarkable day on Sunday by landing his first ever French Derby with Le Havre. Rouget and jockey Christophe Lemaire had already won the previous two Group Three races but Le Havre stormed home to overtake the heavily-backed Fuisse – trained by Criquette Head-Maarek for her father Alec – while the Irish raider Westphalia was third for Aidan O'Brien. Lemaire timed his run to perfection.
