[announcer] And they're off!
[crowd cheering in distance]
[twangy country music playing]
[Nick Luck] The Belmont Stakes is an intriguing race,
because it comes only three weeks after the Preakness Stakes.
It's the third and final leg of the US Triple Crown.
[cheering]
The Belmont Stakes is known as "The Test of the Champion."
[announcer 2] It is going to be Mike Repole one, two.
Mo Donegal and Irad Ortiz
have won the Belmont Stakes!
[music grows]
[Billy Koch] We talk about legacy a lot,
and I think if you really are going to go down in the history books
as someone who people will remember from this sport,
you're gonna have to win at least one of those Triple Crown races.
It's so hard to do. It's really special.
You want it so badly.
Just because you want something so badly doesn't mean you're gonna get it.
And what you have to do is just continue to work hard, continue to get better,
until one day that magical day will happen.
You just gotta believe it.
-[music swells] -[horse's neigh echoes]
[upbeat music playing]
-[Julia Werth] Oh! -[Jayson Werth] Ugh!
I was hitting it the whole day right there.
Your chips are getting better.
[Jayson] Damn!
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[Julia sighs]
What's up? [chuckles]
-You have the little earrings. -Yeah.
I don't wanna be too ostentatious.
-[quietly] Ostentatious. -[chuckles]
Okay.
Then don't use words like "ostentatious."
[laughs]
Oh, yeah. I'm Jayson Werth.
Julia Werth. [chuckles]
-Ooh, with the hand raise. Mm. -With the hand raise.
-And we are, uh, horse owners. -[upbeat music playing]
And it's… it's a lot different from what I used to do.
-[bat thuds] -[crowd cheers]
You know, 22 years professional, 15 years in the big leagues.
I played professional sport for a long time at the highest level.
I won at the highest level.
[music continues]
Just that freakish excitement on a day-to-day basis.
It's hard to find something that even comes close.
[music ends]
Walking down memory lane here.
We got some nice, uh, artwork from my… from my agent.
First big game.
There's me holding the World Series trophy in my little bobblehead collection.
Playing a sport that you love, when it gets taken away from you,
you just don't realize that you still need that, you know, that fix.
Once it's over, it's over.
And, uh, you're left to… to figure out what's… what's left, and what's next.
Once he retired, obviously it was great to have him around,
but he needed, uh, an outlet.
Like, a competitive outlet.
I started playing golf.
That's when I, uh, started playing with some guys that owned horses.
And that's when horses found me.
[upbeat music playing]
[announcer 3] There's Jayson Werth, part owner of Dornoch.
[Jayson] Danny Gargan trains Dornoch. I met Danny at the yearling sale.
[auctioneer] 250. Who'll give 75? All through. 75.
[Jayson] He came over and said, "We need a guy like you in on this horse."
Just be at 10% of it.
[auctioneer] 25,350.
In the back, 325,000. Thank you both.
[Jayson] I see this, you know, parallel between me and the horse.
They're the athlete. They do all the training.
They're the ones that are out there dealing with injuries,
nicks, bumps, bruises.
I'm still learning most of this stuff.
But do I understand where the horse is coming from
or what the horse is going through
more than maybe anybody else in the industry?
I think I do.
I call Dornoch Big Puppy. Hopefully, Big Puppy can, uh, be great for us.
We gonna shock the world? Shock and awe? What do you think?
Hm?
[upbeat string music playing]
We're at the Kentucky Derby, dude.
-[crowd cheering] -[gates clang open]
Dornoch broke bad.
-Dornoch broke bad. -[Sherri McPeek] Okay.
Get in. Get in.
Our race was over before it started.
[music continues]
They left the gate, buried on the rail, and it was like, "Well, that's it."
Once that happened,
it was kind of, like, "We're just happy to be here."
[music ends]
-[Julia] Oh my gosh. -[Jayson] This is what they send you.
[on recording] I'm Bill Carstanjen,
and it is with immense pride that I welcome you
to this milestone anniversary.
[recording continues indistinctly]
Hm.
-It's a rose. -[Julia] Run for the roses.
Once-in-a-lifetime deal.
[soft music playing]
And we fucked it up.
We're heading to the Belmont, we're backed into a corner.
If he doesn't run big here, then he's not the horse we thought he was.
But I think he can do it.
[music ends]
[Billy] This is a very special year
that Saratoga gets the Belmont,
because they're doing construction over at Belmont Park.
[Nick] There are just a handful of towns in the world who…
Their charm derives from the fact they are racing towns.
Newmarket in England, Deauville and Chantilly in France.
In… In the United States, Lexington, Kentucky, and, of course, Saratoga.
[horse snorts]
Even though the Belmont Stakes is not at its spiritual home,
it is at a very important venue,
and one which will never give you a… a free pass.
[music fades]
[energetic music playing]
[Trevor McCarthy speaks indistinctly]
[Katie Davis] Oh, wow. You want to hold my hand.
[giggling] I'm kidding.
You know I'm kidding.
Saratoga is such a family environment.
People are always friendly.
So when I rode the first year here,
I wanted to connect with the fans
because that's what's important to me, because they are our livelihood.
They are gonna keep us going in this industry.
All eyes are on me.
I have owners already watching me.
I have trainers here already watching me.
And to get a mount in the race,
it would be like, "Okay, she's doing something right."
How are you doing?
I have a race coming up on the Belmont Stakes weekend.
I'm riding Union Trail.
He's very quirky.
When you hit those turns, his head goes this way,
and his butt goes this way,
and you kind of have to grab him a certain way so he makes the turn.
It only takes one big horse
to totally change your whole career.
[music ends]
[Danny Gargan] I'm trying to get hold of Jayson Werth right now.
He lost his phone in Mexico in Baja. [laughs]
Belmont moving to Saratoga is a big deal
because the town's going to be electrified.
It's gonna be great for racing. It's gonna be something that's gonna be asked.
"Who won the first Belmont to ever be run at Saratoga?"
It's going to be a trivia question, so that'd be pretty cool.
Funny story. I was a jocks' agent for several years before I was a trainer.
So I started training a little bit later than a lot of the guys that were my age.
Financially, it was the right move for me,
because, uh, you can't really, you know…
You have to have money to train, or have some kind of support backing financially.
We went to Saratoga,
had a couple of horses win and sold them.
And the next year I did it again and, uh, sold one that next year and…
It's just something that kind of snowballed into a lot of success
over the last, I guess, seven, eight years.
And, uh, it's been quite a ride.
[upbeat music playing]
[Jayson] Let's go.
I think most guys always worry about their own horses.
It's all you can do. Just focus in on… on your horse.
Make sure that everything's right with them.
We're gonna be under a lot of pressure to run back in the Belmont.
That's gonna take a whole nother level of… of focus on us.
So we'll see what happens.
Can… Can you find me a spot, or you wanna put me in here?
Yes. My boss told me to take care of you. I put you right in here.
Uh, right near the, uh, right near the tree line.
-Want me to just give it to you? -What?
No, I'm not the best driver. Don't wanna damage it.
You want it tucked in here where?
-Yeah. Right near the tree line. -Good man. Thank you.
That's 30 years of tipping those guys well right there.
[chuckling] Always tip them well.
[intriguing music playing]
The demands of the Triple Crown are such
that if you want to leave your mark on the sport,
winning the Triple Crown is still going to be the most impactful way to do it.
But even though the Triple Crown is no longer in play for Kenny McPeek,
winning two of the three jewels is a rare and potentially lucrative opportunity.
A Belmont Stakes win on Mystik Dan's résumé
would… would still be historic.
[announcer 4] Todd Pletcher with three horses in the Belmont Stakes this year,
including a horse that has run off the screen in his two lifetime starts.
Talking about Mindframe.
[Nick] Mike Repole has hundreds of horses in his stable,
and, like any athlete, they don't all develop at the same time.
So along comes Mindframe,
a real late bloomer,
who won his debut race only a few months ago.
And while this inexperienced colt wasn't eligible
or ready for the Kentucky Derby,
he now appears ready just in time for the Belmont Stakes.
And he probably is the most talented horse in the race.
But this is a real test facing tried and tested Triple Crown horses
like Mystik Dan, the Derby winner, like Seize the Grey, the Preakness winner,
and Danny Gargan's Dornoch, who's been a fixture throughout.
[music fades]
[Danny] He's not doing it, is he? Look at him. He's a criminal.
Look at his little paw stick out. [chuckles]
Our cat, Johnny Depp.
We rescued him. I think it's been three years, and he's, uh, got his own condo.
[woman] There we go.
[Danny] Some people have goats, some people have chickens, you know,
but, uh, we've got Johnny Depp.
[woman] And he's so, like, sweet and grungy.
-[Danny] Yeah. Sweet. -[woman] It was a perfect name for him.
You gotta watch him. He wanders out to the track and helps train sometimes.
The owners really love him.
Everybody comes by, they'll come by and just gets pictures of him.
We all love him.
-[Jayson] How's he doing? -[Danny] He's doing really good.
-He's training phenomenal. -[Jayson] How's his foot?
It's the best. I mean, I'm not even worried about it anymore.
Jayson's obviously a really good baseball player for years.
And when he had baseball all his life,
he said he was lacking something that got him going.
And I think horse racing,
and this horse particularly, is doing it for him.
Typically, the bigger the, uh, feat, the heavier the trophy, right?
So these should just keep getting heavier. [chuckles]
Well, the Belmont one's real heavy.
As an assistant, I got to hold it once.
When you hold it up, it's… it's a heavy, heavy trophy.
Winning the Belmont would be amazing.
I mean, it'd be a dream.
But most of all, it's so Dornoch could come back
and put himself back in the hunt
as one of the best three-year-olds. So I want him to prove it.
What are we doing today with him? Did he breeze?
No, he just galloped today.
-[Jayson] I don't know what that means. -[Danny and woman laugh]
[Danny] He went the right way. Come here, boy.
[Dornoch grunts]
-I get close, he'll bite me. -[Danny] Nah, he's got candy in his mouth.
You're safe for about three minutes.
[Jayson] He knows what's up, though. On my game day, he knows it's his time.
When you walk in the paddock… We go over there Saturday for the Belmont.
-He gets bigger. -[Jayson] He's all gassed up.
I don't know. It's like he finds something. [huffs]
You're, like, "Oh God, he's really big today."
-Game day. -[Danny] He looks bigger on game day.
I don't know how to explain that. I'm not a professional athlete.
-[Jayson] It's a thing. -[Danny] Is it?
He likes to fight. He's a fighter.
Who are you worried about?
The now horse is Mindframe.
[intriguing music playing]
Todd Pletcher, Mike Repole.
You know, they're the biggest stars in the sport.
Mindframe will, you know, be the horse we'll have to run down at some point.
[Jayson] What about Seize the Grey?
[Danny] We've run against him enough. I think we're better than him.
Mystik Dan didn't show up the other day in the Preakness.
He could come back and show life again.
If Big Puppy would've won the Derby, would he have run in the Preakness?
No. We wouldn't have run. We just came right here.
So he never was ever going to be a… a Triple Crown winner?
-No. -[Jayson] Wasn't in the cards for him?
-[Danny] Not with this. -[exclaims] You about got me, you…
[Danny] He'll nail you. It's too demanding to come back in two weeks.
-That's why he's all pissed off. -[Danny chuckles] Yeah.
[chuckles]
[Dornoch grunts]
[resolute music playing]
[music fades]
This is where it started for me. I learned to ride here in Saratoga.
-I… I hadn't even really told you, but… -[Katie] Gone on. Tell me. [chuckles]
Right when we started together,
there was a few… more than a few trainers that said,
"Well, you know, she just became a mom."
"I wouldn't want to put her on, you know, any horse where something might happen."
And also, just in general, doubters that think,
"Oh, no. This horse is too strong. This horse needs a man."
And then we've proceeded to get on horses like that
that have actually become some of your best rides this year.
You've gone so far above and beyond that.
Now we just have to push even harder to get to that next level
where you're a regular option for some of the good barns on the big days.
Yeah, I love that.
If you can continue to give me those kind of rides on the more difficult horses…
[Katie] Yeah.
…it's a lot easier for me to fire back at the, "I need a man on this horse."
You know, when I see you put that stick in your left hand and go to work,
there's not a lot they can say naturally.
For sure. But I love… I love making doubters believers.
That's, like, my favorite thing to do.
The first year I rode, I ended up getting hurt.
I remember this like it was yesterday.
[poignant music playing]
My agent, he said, "Listen, I don't think you're gonna make it as a rider."
And
I looked at him, and I was, like, "Wow."
[voice breaking] Sorry.
And that crushes people's hearts.
Well, it crushed my heart. And I was, like, "Wow, is he serious?"
And I'm, like, trying not to cry.
And I'm, like, "My agent is telling me I'm not gonna make it."
I haven't cried over this yet.
[laughs]
I called my dad, and I said, "Dad, I'm coming home."
"And I'm just gonna get a galloping job in New York."
And he goes, "No, you're not, Kate." [laughs]
The jocks' parking.
-[valet] John's parking? -[Katie] Jockeys'.
-[valet] You're a jockey? -[Katie] Yeah, I'm a jockey.
-[valet] You are? Okay. -[Katie] Yeah.
-Female jockey. Okay. -[valet] I'm kidding.
And he goes, "No, you go find an agent,
and you go figure out where you're going. Here's two, three grand."
Like, "Go figure it out, Katie. You know how to do it."
Grab your bicycle.
You're gonna like this racetrack.
[guitar music continues]
Stay with mommy.
Go right.
Good job.
[music builds]
[music ends]
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[man shouting indistinctly]
[man] You're the man, Trevor.
Not me. I'd just undo my life. Thank God I married her.
[laughs heartily]
[Javier Castellano] You gotta pay the bill?
-I pay the bill, and she brings the fame. -[laughs]
[upbeat music playing]
[announcer 5] From Saratoga racecourse,
24 hours out to the first ever Belmont at The Spa.
[announcer 6] We've got more horse-racing talk as we count down towards the Belmont.
We continue here from Saratoga.
And they're off.
[music continues]
He's probably gonna go.
Yeah.
Your horse has speed, though.
-It's an easy one. You got it. -[Katie chuckles]
-It's so easy for you to say. -[laughs]
Thank you.
[Billy] Everybody wants to give her opportunities, and she's gotten some.
Now she has to take those opportunities, win some races,
and that's going to lead to a better career for her, but she's got to do it.
[Katie] Ready?
[soft music playing]
Trying to run out of here before everybody. [chuckles]
-Hi, guys. How are you? -[woman] You know we come out in droves.
-Safe trip, all right? -[Katie] Thank you.
Love our distance. Love our post too. Love it.
I'm ready to win one. For sure.
[indistinct chatter]
…see everything.
-[man 1] Good luck. -[man 2] Go get 'em, Katie.
You got it, boss.
[music continues]
-[man 3] Let's go, Katie. -[man 4] All right.
[announcer 7] The horses have reached the starting gate. It's post time.
Union Trail goes in.
[music fades]
[resolute music playing]
[horses neigh, blow]
-[bell rings] -[gates clang open]
They're off.
Starquist and Union Trail are the first two out of the gate.
[resolute music continues]
Onto the back stretch, and it's Starquist just in front,
with Union Trail three-quarters back in second.
They're followed by Bad Larry, inching up a closer third.
Whistler's Honor is fourth,
just behind this trio.
[cheering]
Let it out another notch now, Kate.
[announcer 7] The new leader is Union Trail around the far turn.
Bad Larry moves up on the outside to take second
as they come to the quarter pole.
Starquist dropping out of it at the top of the stretch,
where now the Sackatoga Stable's Union Trail
trying to sneak away on the front end.
Union Trail turns for home with a four-length lead.
[man] Cut the corner!
Send her now, Katie!
Come on, Katie! Come on, Katie!
[announcer 7] As they come past the eight pole,
it's all Union Trail.
[music swells, then slows]
Union Trail by six
in a complete runaway.
[crowd cheers in distance]
Union Trail hearing it from the crowd at Saratoga.
Second to Whistler's Honor,
and a tight photo for third
between Bad Larry and Miracle Mike.
[hopeful music playing]
I looked at the TV…
[crowd cheering]
[announcer 7] In the winner's circle is Katie Davis.
Smile!
[loud cheering]
[man 2] Way to go, Kate!
[music ends]
[Katie] Man, just riding in Saratoga alone,
it's like going to Yankee Stadium.
Hearing the crowd, and hitting that finish line.
Once you get that feeling, you just want more of it.
[indistinct chatter]
Walking back, just the crowd clapping, the kids,
"Let me take a picture. Can I have a hug?"
Showing them, "Yeah, women compete against men."
And I tell young girls, I said, "Half the battle is believing in yourself."
"I'm a jockey, yes, but I'm a person too. I'm just like you."
"And if you wanna accomplish something in life,
you can do it, as long as you put your mind to it."
[indistinct chatter and congratulations]
And to get that opportunity to ride in the Belmont one day
would be a dream of mine like no tomorrow.
[Trevor] Ey!
-[Katie] I watched a replay of the ride. -[Trevor] Great job.
-Nice. Congrats. -[indistinct radio chatter]
-That was great. -[Katie] Did I look like a man?
-Yeah. -[Katie] Yeah!
-Congratulations. -[Katie] Hi!
Thank you!
[energetic music playing]
[whooshing]
[music ends]
[Jaime's mother, in Spanish] Let's say a prayer.
-[music playing from car stereo] -[Jaime Torres] Hm.
[Jaime's mother] Amen?
Good morning, God. Thank You, Father, for giving us a new day.
Let him continue fighting for his dreams.
And thank You again for this opportunity that You give us.
Let's enjoy the day. Let's enjoy the moment.
But always watch over him all along the way.
[soft music playing]
[man, in English] What's up, yo? How do you feel?
-Good. Yeah. -You all right?
-Eleven days. Stay safe, okay? -[Irad Ortiz Jr.] Thank you.
[Indistinct chatter]
[Jaime, in Spanish] See you soon. I'll get dressed and go out.
[chuckling]
[man sobbing quietly]
[Jaime] Thousands of people are watching us.
Let me go.
[kisses]
-[John Velazquez, in Spanish] Muddy? -[Irad] Huh?
-Did you get mud on you? -[Irad] Up to the spur!
[elegant orchestra music playing]
[announcer 8] Welcome to historic Saratoga racecourse for Belmont Day,
with the 156th running of the Belmont,
the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
We have both the Derby winner and the Preakness champ here.
[resolute music continues]
Welcome here, trackside Saratoga.
Without question, one of the great racing venues in the entire country.
As we continue counting down towards the Belmont.
You can feel the energy
as the crowd is anticipating
a great finish to the Triple Crown races.
[indistinct chatter]
How did you do?
Me too.
[announcer 8] This is the first time since 2013
that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners
will face off head-to-head.
Only one will win the final jewel of the Triple Crown today,
the Belmont Stakes.
-[music fades] -[crowd cheering]
Hopefully I'm gonna see you after. You'll be awarding the trophy.
-[woman] Yes, we are. -So I hope to see you. [laughs]
[Kenny McPeek] They brought us over here way early.
You know, normally, horses might not even be getting saddled until now.
Yeah.
But because it's such a… media show, they want to get everybody here early.
But he's handling it fine.
[Mike Repole] What do you think?
-You excited or what? -[child] Nervous.
-[Mike] You're nervous? -[child] Terribly.
[Mike] Terribly, yeah? Imagine if you were your father.
[child] You can do it, Mindframe. Go, Mindframe!
-[intriguing music playing] -[horse blows]
[indistinct chatter]
[Jayson] Big Puppy!
That horse owes us nothing.
He took us to the Triple Crown.
It's one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of.
And I'll probably never be a part of it as an owner again.
[chuckles nervously]
This is his time. This is his big opportunity.
And, um, you know, I see… I see a lot of myself in this horse.
He's a big bad dude with a bad attitude.
He's hard to train.
Although he's… he's a Big Puppy, he's pretty nasty.
If we were walking down the tunnel to… to go play a baseball game,
I… I'd be fine, but I'm not.
Yeah. Oh, good.
Mindframe only had his first start a couple months ago.
He was just named three months ago.
And now all of a sudden he's gonna be the second favorite in the Belmont.
-[horse snorts] -Pretty special.
[string music continues]
-Jayson Werth. Hi! -[Jayson] Yeah.
How are you?
[announcer 8] Seize the Grey, winner of the Preakness three weeks ago.
Jaime Torres rides for the legend, D. Wayne Lukas.
[crowd cheers]
[music fades]
[announcer 9] There he is. The winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
And he looks the part.
[announcer 8] Mystik Dan, the only horse who'll run all three legs
of the Triple Crown this year.
Of course, he won the Derby five weeks ago and was second to Seize the Grey
in the Preakness.
Kenny McPeek trying to pull the double-dip.
Dornoch won the Fountain of Youth Stakes in March.
But the colt co-owned by the former major-leaguer Jayson Werth
comes off a tenth at the Kentucky Derby.
[Jayson] Come on, Big Puppy. Freak out.
Freak out one time, Big Puppy.
[announcer 8] Dornoch 14-1 right now.
And finally, Mindframe, winner of both his prior starts
for trainer Todd Pletcher.
[announcer 10] Mindframe, the horse who's undefeated in his career.
He looks the part.
[cheering]
[horse snorts, neighs]
-[suspenseful music playing] -[indistinct chatter]
[horse neighs]
[announcer 8] They're in the gate.
[sound slows down to a muffle]
-[sound clarifies] -[bell rings]
And they're off
in the Belmont stakes.
[energetic music playing]
Sierra Leone got bounced around at the start.
Seize the Grey broke alertly. So did Dornoch.
We're clean. We're clean.
We're on the lead. Come on, baby.
[announcer 8] Mindframe is four deep.
[crowd cheering]
Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan
will settle in mid-pack about six lengths off the lead. It's a gap of five.
The opening quarter in just under 23 seconds flat.
[music becomes twangy]
And it's Seize the Grey
showing the way by a half length to Dornoch in second.
Yeah, baby!
We're sitting off Seize the Grey. That's what we wanted.
[announcer 8] They swing onto the Saratoga back stretch.
Where is he?
[announcer 8] Mystik Dan is now seven lengths off the lead.
Gotta wiggle his way through.
[groans] Get out of there! Come on!
[announcer 8] Mystik Dan is still seven lengths off the lead.
-Cut the corner. -Brian!
He don't have the horse.
[Sherri] He's backing up.
Damn it.
[announcer 8] …47 and one
for the Preakness winner, Seize the Grey.
Heads past the half-mile pole leading over Dornoch,
who's been pestering him the entire journey.
Come on!
[announcer 8] Dornoch puts his head in front of Seize the Grey.
Let's go! Let's go!
[announcer 8] Mindframe is just outside of him.
He just got his cue.
And he's three and a half lengths off the new leader, Dornoch.
Holy fuck.
[announcer 8] The field turns for home.
Mindframe moving in.
Mindframe on the outside is coming after Dornoch!
-Mindframe! -Go! Let's go!
Come on, Luis! Come on, Luis!
[announcer 8] Mindframe is closing ground. It's Dornoch hugging the rail.
Come on, get on the rail!
Going back to the rail!
Get on the fucking rail!
Keep running, Luis! Keep running, Luis!
[announcer 8] Mindframe a little erratic.
[cheering and screaming]
Get on the fucking rail!
[announcer 8] But he's still right there with Dornoch, in an absolute thriller.
Get on the rail! Get on the rail!
[announcer 8] …Dornoch and Mindframe. It will be…
[music slows in anticipation]
Dornoch!
-[Jayson screaming] -[man] We won the Belmont!
[announcer 8] …and Luis Saez
to win the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga!
-[crowd cheering] -[triumphant orchestra music playing]
Dornoch.
[Jayson laughing loudly]
[announcer 8] It was a finish that is one for the ages.
[music fades]
[Danny] I wanna cry.
-[sighs] I lost my voice. -[Larry Connolly] You earned it.
Well, we… We all earned it, Larry.
This is a once… This is a dream here, my friend.
-It is a dream. -It's a dream.
-I can't believe it. -Oh my God.
[string music playing]
[Mike] To come second in the Belmont,
or any second, is… is extremely tough.
You can only be a three-year-old colt
one year in your life. That's it.
Mindframe will be back next year, but he can't win the Belmont.
[indistinct chatter]
I'll be polite and say that you wasted three hours of my life.
Um…
You probably cost me millions and millions of dollars.
I know the fucking three hours I gave you right now is Oscar-worthy.
So don't fuck this up. Thank you and get the fuck out of my house.
[Kenny] Congratulations. Way to go.
[Danny] Thanks so much.
We… We're going to scope him
and see if we got any excuse there, and go from there.
I appreciate it, man.
-All right, Brian. Thanks, man. -[Brian Hernandez Jr.] Thank you, Sherri.
[Jayson] Big Puppy!
What the fuck!
[crowd cheering]
[string music continues]
[Jayson] Everybody back up in here.
-You guys! -[guard] Back up!
-[Danny] We got to do the trophy now. -[Jayson laughs]
[crowd cheering loudly]
-There you go. -[Danny kisses]
There you go.
-Grab it, Jayson. -Jayson, just there.
[music swells]
[crowd cheers loudly]
-Let's go! -Let's go!
[Jayson] Let's go! Whoo!
[triumphant music continues]
[indistinct chatter]
[Jayson] You're playing big games. You're playing the top level
of arguably the best sport in the world.
Then you start running horses, and then, like, the first colt I ever buy
runs in the Derby and then wins the fucking Belmont. It's crazy!
Congratulations.
Enjoy this victory.
How would you compare this to winning a world championship?
[Jayson] I would put it right up there with winning, uh, with the biggest stage.
Horse racing is the most underrated sport in the world, bar none.
Uh, it's the biggest game. You got the Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont.
We just won the Belmont. This is… as good as it gets in horse racing.
It's as good as it gets in sports.
We're gonna drink some champagne. We're not gonna be spraying champagne
'cause these people are more upstanding than the people I used to hang out with.
But we're still gonna celebrate, and we're gonna go crazy.
Thank you.
-You did it, Danny. -Thanks.
-[man] Congrats. -Thanks, brother.
-That was crazy, guys. -[man 2] My man! Ooh!
[whistles]
Special.
[music ends]
[blows]
Dornoch winning's gonna change Jayson's life,
because he said it's like winning the World Series.
It's gonna give him a purpose.
-[woman laughs] -[Danny] He wants those peppermints.
[pensive piano music playing]
[Jayson] Seventeen to one?
Like, no respect. [chuckles]
And people that I know bet against him, betting on Mindframe, on all these people,
and wins a big race like the Belmont.
This dude's for real.
Winning is hard. Winning doesn't happen.
When you experience winning at the top, you understand why you do it.
It changes everyone's life.
[horse panting]
I played on good teams. I played on great teams.
Won a World Series. I lost to the Yankees. So I know what it's like to win.
I know what it's like to lose. And, like…
We're done. [laughs]
[sucks teeth] Oh, why do you do it to me?
What are we doing? [laughs]
What just happened?
[laughs joyfully]
[Nick] There is no walk of life
where the cast list is as varied.
Every race, you've always got a different story to tell.
[announcer 11] Inspiral!
And Frankie Dettori timed that right!
[Frankie exclaims]
[announcer 12] And they're off!
Fierceness, the real Fierceness,
has showed up to South Florida!
[cheering]
-[horse snorts] -[bell rings]
He hit the hole! He got it! He got it! Yes! Yes!
[announcer 13] Oh, it's a photo at the Derby!
We won the fucking Derby!
Yes!
-I don't want anybody to know… -[chuckles]
[Kenny] …how good Brian is. [laughs]
I guess the cat's out of the bag, isn't it?
[all] Whoo!
[bell rings]
[announcer 13] Seize the Grey wins the Preakness.
Oh, my!
Wayne Lukas has done it!
[announcer 14] The oldest trainer to ever win a Triple Crown race.
The most important decision you'll ever make in your life is your attitude.
This is a pep talk.
I didn't mean we were going to the locker room. [laughs]
[announcer 8] It will be Dornoch!
-[Jayson screaming] -[man] We won the Belmont!
It really hasn't sunk in all the way yet. Still just taking it in…
[chanting] Danny! Danny! [laughs]
[Danny] Now Jayson's coming in to take over.
It's a concoction that is… is incredibly intoxicating.
Once you're in, it's very difficult to get out.
[triumphant music playing]
[music swells]
[soft piano music playing]
[music fades]