Owner Mike Repole, Trainer Todd Pletcher have dream race at Belmont Stakes

Mar 31, 2018; Hallandale Beach, FL, USA; Trainer Todd Pletcher stands in the winners circle after a race during Florida Derby day at Gufstream Park. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

The owner/trainer team of Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher entered two horses in Saturday’s eight-horse field at the 154th Belmont Stakes, and they could not have had a better finish.

Repole and Pletcher’s horses finished first and second, with Mo Donegal winning and Nest placing in the race.

Mo Donegal, a 5-2 favorite coming into the race, beat out Nest to win the race. Nest, who entered the race with 8-1 odds, came up just short of becoming only the third Filly ever to win the Belmont Stakes.

Mo Donegal trailed We the People heading into the final stretch, but found a second gear and wound up charging ahead for a comfortable victory. We the People ended up finishing in fourth place.

Here is video of the race:

Pletcher told FOX Sports’ Maggie Wolfendale after the race that he felt confident that Mo Donegal would run well.

“The one thing we felt confident in is he’d get the trip,” Pletcher said. “And if Irad [Ortiz Jr.] could just ride him patiently enough, I thought that he had the potential to have the best last quarter.”

This was Pletcher’s fourth win at the Belmont Stakes. The Hall of Fame trainer most recently won the event with Tapwrit in 2017. In 2013, he won with Palace Malice, and before that with Rags to Riches in 2007. He is now tied for the fifth-most wins at the Belmont Stakes.

Rich Strike, the surprise winner of May’s Kentucky Derby, finished in sixth place.