Bryan Smith/for New York Daily News

Union Rags makes rail pass on Paynter to win Belmont.

A hug from winning jockey John Velazquez provided Hall-of-Fame jockey Mike Smith little solace. He, along with trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat, had just finished second for the third straight Triple Crown race.
Paynter finished behind Union Rags Saturday in front of 85,811 at Belmont. Baffert thought Paynter had the potential to knock off I’ll Have Another before the Triple Crown hopeful was scratched. Union Rags nipped the horse at the end, costing the trio the third jewel of the Triple Crown series.
UNION RAGS WINS BELMONT THRILLER
“Is there a Triple Crown for seconds?” Baffert asked. “I really thought he was going to win today.”
What happened in deep stretch demoralized Smith, Baffert and Zayat in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Smith rode Bodemeister to the lead at Churchill Downs and Pimlico. I’ll Have Another edged out Bodemeister down the stretch each time.
With Bodemeister not running, Baffert entered the inexperienced Paynter into the Belmont and he and Smith led from the start until deep stretch. This time, Union Rags passed Paynter on the rail near the wire.
“Both horses rode their hearts out,” Smith said. “It’s just hard on me.”
A horse on the outside helped produce the opening Union Rags rode through. Smith saw Atigun making a push on the outside with a few yards remaining and went to a lefthand whip to stave him off. But with Paynter drifting out slightly, there was a sliver of room for Union Rags to drive past the pacesetter and into the winner’s circle.
Smith was quick to blame the loss on his decision to whip Paynter lefthanded, causing his mount to drift out.
“My horse ran terrific,” Smith said. “I just blame myself for the end there. Otherwise I thought I rode great.”
To others, Smith’s move was not an ill-advised one.
“I probably would have done the same thing,” Velazquez said. “He didn’t know I was coming. The only horse he saw was on the outside, and that was my chance.”
Paynter won on the Preakness undercard in May, and Baffert turned him around for the “Test of Champions,” thinking the horse would get his shot against I’ll Have Another.
“To go a mile and a half the way he did, in only his fourth (actually his fifth) race, I am very lucky to have him,” Zayat said. “I'm very disappointed we opened the rail for (Union Rags).”