2001 Belmont Stakes
| Belmont Stakes | |
| Location |
Belmont Park Elmont, New York |
|---|---|
| Date | June 9, 2001 |
| Winning horse | Point Given |
| Jockey | Gary Stevens |
| Trainer | Bob Baffert |
| Owner | The Thoroughbred Corporation |
| Conditions | Fast |
| Surface | Dirt |
|
← 2000
2002 →
|
|
The 2001 Belmont Stakes was the 133rd running of the Belmont Stakes. The 1 1⁄2-mile (2,400 m) race, known as the "test of the champion" and sometimes called the "final jewel" in thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown series, was held on June 9, 2001, three weeks after the Preakness Stakes and five weeks after the Kentucky Derby.
Point Given, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, was one of the most highly regarded three-year-olds of his era. Although he finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, he rebounded to win the Preakness Stakes. In the Belmont Stakes, he turned in a dominating performance to win by over 12 lengths in one of the fastest times in the history of the race.
In Stevens opinion, Point Given was one of the best horse of the 2000s and a worthy inductee to the Hall of Fame in 2010. He attributed Point Given's fifth place finish in the Derby to the combination of a foot infection and a very firm track at Churchill Downs. On a deeper track with more cushion, the foot did not bother the colt and Baffert remembered being very confident. "He's the best one I've ever led over for the Belmont", he said in 2010. "I knew he'd handle the distance. They can either go that far or they can't. You can't train that into them."
One week before the Belmont, Point Given's "mischievous" antics gave cause for concern when he injured himself in his stall. He suffered a cut over the eye, then the medication made him start acting colicky so Baffert withheld his hay to avoid making the stomach problems worse. The colt reacted by crawling under the webbing in his stall, gashing himself in the side in the process. He was briefly loose from his stall, but was then caught by the grooms.
Eight other horses entered the race. Point Given's main rivals were considered to be Derby winner Monarchos and Preakness runner-up A P Valentine. A P Valentine had won two of two starts at Belmont Park including the Champagne Stakes, in which he had defeated Point Given.
...
Wikipedia