Triple Crown 2000

Kentucky Derby
May 6, 2000
Win: Fusaichi Pegasus
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Preakness Stakes
May 20, 2000
Win: Red Bullet
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Belmont Stakes
June 10, 2000
Win: Commendable
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Commendable holds off the field to win the Belmont Stakes. (Courtesy: ABC)
avi: 1509 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

Red Bullet ends Fusaichi Pegasus' Triple Crown quest in the Preakness. (Courtesy: ABC Sports)
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

Fusaichi Pegasus barrels down the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby. (Courtesy: ABC Sports)
avi: 1652 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

Commendable, Lukas' 18-1 longshot, won the Belmont Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths.

Commendable effort
Commendable won the 132nd Belmont Stakes in a time of 2:31, with Aptitude taking second and Unshaded finishing third. The chestnut colt fought with Hugh Hefner from the start and took command in the final half-mile. "We had a wonderful trip," said winning jockey Pat Day. Commendable, the 17th-place finisher at the Derby, had a shoe problem before the race. His victory gave D. Wayne Lukas his fourth Belmont win and the Lewis family their first. It was the first time in 30 years that the Belmont ran without the Derby and Preakness winners.

• Stretch call: RealVideo 56.6 | ISDN

• Results/payoffs | All-time winners
• Saturday's barn notes: ABC says goodbye

Jockey Jerry Bailey and Red Bullet win in an upset at the Preakness Stakes.

Red Bullet fires
Maybe Fusaichi Pegasus isn't the real deal after all. In a spectacular upset, Red Bullet pulled away from the Derby winner at the final turn to win the 125th Preakness Stakes by three lengths with a time of 1:56 on Saturday. "Turning for home, I saw my horse make the move I expected him to make," said winning trainer Joe Orseno. FuPeg trainer Neil Drysdale blamed the wet track for the favorite's runner-up finish. Todd Pletcher's Impeachment once again finished third. The horses now move on to the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

• Stretch call: RealVideo 56.6 | ISDN

• Results/payoffs | All-time winners

Kent Desormeaux celebrates his second Derby win, which came aboard Fusaichi Pegasus.

Favored Fusaichi wins
For the first time since Spectacular Bid in 1979, the favorite won the Kentucky Derby. But Fusaichi Pegasus not only beat Aptitude and the rest of the field, he made them look slow down the stretch. The Neil Drysdale-trained colt won with a time of 2:01.12 before a crowd of 153,204. The Derby winner now looks forward to a trip to the Preakness Stakes on May 20. Rookie trainer Todd Pletcher also had reason to celebrate, as two of his record four entries finished in the top 5. Impeachment was the show horse and More Than Ready finished in fourth.

• Stretch Call: avi: 1652 | Real: 56.6
• Derby results/payoffs | All-time winners

More Coverage

Johnson: Triple Crowns past, present and future
Can you imagine a trainer choosing to run a horse in extra races during the Triple Crown? Dave Johnson remembers a few who did.

Who's the best 3-year-old? Don't ask
Each of this year's Triple Crown races was won by a different horse, so who's the best 3-year-old?

Mayne: Making bad use of a good omen
Did Kenny Mayne receive a sign prior to last Saturday's Belmont? Some things can't be explained, like this year's winner.

Nothing 'Commendable' about the Belmont
Following Commendble's victory in the Belmont, Andy Beyer reasseses the quality of the 3-year-olds who ran in Triple Crown 2000.

Lukas has Day in Belmont Stakes
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Pat Day hooked up again to win a Triple Crown race on Saturday.

Finley: Is Commendable for real?
D. Wayne Lukas is a either a genius or was very lucky Saturday when Commendable won the Belmont Stakes, writes Bill Finley.

I've been part of it: New York, New York
Nearly everyone knows the Big Apple is the home of the Belmont Stakes, but for a short while, it also counted Jay Cronley as one of its own.

Lukas enjoys "quiet" week at barn 10
D. Wayne Lukas is missing something this week, the pseudo-entourage that normally swims in his wake leading up to a Triple Crown race.

McKay: Waiting for a rivalry to unfold
Jim McKay looks ahead to the Belmont Stakes, ABC's final telecast after 15 consecutive races of the Triple Crown classic.



		Kentucky DerbyTRACK: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. DISTANCE: 1 1/4 miles RECORD: 1:59 2/5 Secretariat, 1973 PURSE: $1 MILLION



		Preakness StakesTRACK: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md. DISTANCE: 1 3/16 miles RECORD: 1:53 2/5 Louis Quatorze,1996 Tank's Prospect, 1985 PURSE: $1 MILLION



		Belmont StakesTRACK: Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. DISTANCE: 1 1/2 miles RECORD: 2:24 Secretariat, 1973 PURSE: $1 MILLION