By Howard Koplowitz
Jason Goldberg was confident as to which horse was going to win the Belmont Stakes about two hours before racetime.
%u201CThe bird is gonna fly again!%u201D Goldberg proclaimed, referring to Mine That Bird, the pre-race favorite ridden by Calvin Borel, who had a shot to become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown by saddling two different horses.
Borel made his move on Mine That Bird, with about 1/4 mile to go in the 1 1/2-mile race and was in front of the 11-horse field, but came up short and finished third behind Dunkirk and 11-to-1 longshot Summer Bird %u2014 the half-brother of Mine That Bird.
Mine That Bird and Summer Bird were both sired by the Belmont Stakes-winning longshot Birdstone, trained by Ozone Park resident Nick Zito.
Borel rode Mine That Bird to victory as a 60-to-1 longshot at the Kentucky Derby. He then saddled Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes to a win as the favorite. Rachel Alexandra%u2019s owners chose to sit her out of the Belmont, leading Borel to get back on Mine That Bird.
The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, along with the Belmont Stakes, comprise the three jewels in horse racing%u2019s Triple Crown.
Dressed in seersucker suits, sundresses and straw hats, the crowd was on their feet as Summer Bird made the final push toward the finish line.
%u201CMy heart was racing a bit,%u201D said Rob Yavor, who drove to the track from Cleveland, %u201Cjust to hear [the horses] coming around the final turn.%u201D
Yavor, who made a bet on Mine That Bird, said he did not let the disappointing loss ruin his enthusiasm.
%u201CMy winning comes from the excitement and the experience,%u201D he said. %u201CI lost monetarily, I won in life.%u201D
Summerbird%u2019s finish shocked the crowd, but not a Brooklyn resident who asked to be identified as G-Speed and put down $100 on the longshot for a $1,100 profit.
%u201CHis father%u2019s Birdstone,%u201D G-Speed said as his friends chanted his name.
%u201CI told all these guys, %u2018I don%u2019t know who%u2019s gonna win the Derby, but I%u2019m telling you, Summerbird is gonna win the Belmont. No doubt,%u201D he said.
He attributed his winning pick to what he called %u201Cthe G-Speed formula.%u201D
%u201CIt%u2019s a mathematical formula that I invented right before War Emblem won the Preakness,%u201D he said, referring to the .
The atmosphere was laid back in the hours leading up to the race as groups of friends, some of whom had arrived at the track as early as 8 a.m., lounged on grassy areas outside Belmont Park
Betting strategies ranged from using in-depth analysis to picking the horse with the most interesting name.
%u201CI%u2019m Scottish, the name is Scottish, I picked it,%u201D said Caroline Hamilton on her choice of Dunkirk.
%u201CFlying Private because eight is my favorite number,%u201D said Lake Grove, L.I., resident Patrick Toro.
Lindsey Brown of Levittown, L.I., said she was drawn to Chocolate Candy.
%u201CIt%u2019s got a fabulous name and it%u2019s sponsored by Jenny Craig, which is hilarious,%u201D she said.
Spectators were mixed as to whether Borel should have been considered a Triple Crown champion if Mine That Bird was victorious.
%u201COne jockey, one horse. Just like in [the movie] %u2018Seabiscuit,%u2019%u201D said Long Island City resident Kyle Trodden.
Charlie Renfro of Brooklyn, decked out in an all-white suit and tie and a black top hat, said he would not have considered Borel a Triple Crown winner if he had gone on to be successful.
%u201CIt%u2019s kind of like a faux Triple Crown,%u201D he said.
%u201CI%u2019m pulling for the horse, not the jockey,%u201D Brown said before the Belmont Stakes was underway. %u201CHe abandoned ship and then when Rachel Alexandra dropped out, he was on Mine That Bird.%u201D
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
