Herausforderungen » sthoff, who will play his 200th AFL game.Di

NEW YORK -- The two Hall of Fame jockeys were just about nose to nose as their horses hit the middle of the final turn of the Belmont Stakes. Gary Stevens, aboard Preakness winner Oxbow, was going to relinquish the lead to the hard-charging Palace Malice, and he knew it. He glanced over to his right and looked at good friend Mike Smith and told him: "You go on with him big boy, youre moving better than me." Was he ever. Palace Malice seized the lead with a quarter-mile to go Saturday in the final leg of the Triple Crown and ran off to a 3 1/4-length victory over Oxbow at Belmont Park, with Kentucky Derby winner Orb another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. "Mike rode a superb race," Stevens said. "Midway around the turn, I said, Well maybe. But I have ridden long enough to know that he (Oxbow) was going to walk home. To finish second, I am really surprised." Palace Malice, who came into the race with only one win in seven starts, vindicated trainer Todd Pletchers support of the 3-year-old colt despite a 12th place finish in the Derby. "Its huge. Its huge," Pletcher said about his second Belmont win. "We always felt like he had a big one in him. We were just waiting for it to finally develop. I told (owner) Mr. (Cot) Campbell this horse is training unbelievable. I know hes got a big run, we just need to put it all together." The Belmont concludes a Triple Crown season in which hopes were high that Orb could break the 35-year drought without a sweep of the classics. In fact, its the fourth time in five years each race was won by a different horse. Palace Malice, who skipped the Preakness, covered the 1 1/2 miles in a slow 2:30.70 on a fast track following a 24-hour downpour. A crowd of 47,562 turned out on a warm, sunny afternoon as Tropical Storm Andrea moved out of the area. For the second time during this Triple Crown run, Pletcher sent out five horses. He came up short in the Derby five weeks ago, skipped the Preakness and regrouped, and came through at his home track for an owner who has supported him from the start. "Its the mother of all great moments, Ill tell you that," the 85-year old Campbell said. "Im proud for Dogwood and proud for my partners, and Im proud of Todd, one of the greatest horse trainers of all time." Sent off at odds of 13-1, Palace Malice returned $29.60, $11.20 and $6.70. Oxbow, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, returned $9.90 and $6.10, and Orb, the 2-1 favourite trained by Shug McGaughey, paid $3.30. "He made a good run around the turn, but we had given up so much," McGaughey said about the colt who was still ninth with a half-mile to go and just could not make up the difference. "I dont think he got tired. He put up a pretty good run to get where he was, and those horses just werent coming back." Incognito was fourth, followed by Revolutionary, the filly Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze, Vyjack, Golden Soul, Will Take Charge, Giant Finish, Midnight Taboo, Freedom Child and Frac Daddy. Golden Soul is owned by Canadian Charles Fipke. Rosie Napravnik, who was aboard Unlimited Budget, became the first female to ride in all three Triple Crown races in the same year. She was trying to become the second female jockey to win a Triple Crown race. Pletchers other Belmont starters were Revolutionary, Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze and Midnight Taboo. All week, Pletcher expressed optimism that Palace Malice was ready to unleash a big effort. On June 2, the son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin put in a blazing 4 furlong workout in 47.40 seconds. Pletcher called it one of the most impressive works hed ever seen. And it carried over to the race and gave the nations leading trainer his second Belmont win (he won the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches) to go with his 2010 Derby win with Super Saver. Smith won his second Belmont, having won aboard Drosselmeyer in 2010. "The game plan was mapped out, and it really went according to plan," Smith said. "We were laying third on the outside of Oxbow, like we wanted. At the three-eighths, Gary said, Go on, little brother. ... And we went on it with it, man." The 14-horse field -- the largest since 1996 -- got off to an even start. Frac Daddy and Freedom Child set out for the lead from their inside posts, with Oxbow not far behind. As the field came out of the turn, Oxbow had the lead heading into the long backstretch run. But unlike the Preakness, he had company up front and the pace was a bit quicker. By the time Oxbow reached the far turn, Palace Malice loomed and Orb was beginning to make a run from way back in the pack. And thats when Palace Malice took charge. The only question was whether anyone was going to catch him. Unlike the Derby, Orb could not complete a come from behind victory. He couldnt even reel in the tiring Oxbow. "Its been fun. Ive got no problems with anything, everthings fine with me," McGaughey said. "I just wish we wold have showed a little better performances in the Preakness and the Belmont." Balenciaga Outlet . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Cheap Balenciaga Free Shipping . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.balenciagacheap.com/ . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Wholesale Balenciaga China . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Balenciaga Shoes On Sale . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Sydney are wary of the danger posed by a Port Adelaide side planning to throw plenty of tall-forward timber at the AFLs meanest defence.The Swans will look to consolidate a top-four spot in their SCG clash, while Port have only a mathematical hope of making the finals, being three wins off eighth spot with four rounds to go.Sydney have won their past four contests against Port.Both teams last week won by close to 100 points.They are a very dangerous side, Swans forward Gary Rohan told AAP.Kenny (Port coach Ken Hinkley) is going to have them all pumped up ready to go.We just beat them the last time so they will probably have that in the back of their mind.Port will have 202cm Charlie Dixon back to add height and menace to what is potentially an imposing forward line.He will line up with 197cm John Butcher and 199cm Justin Westhoff, who will play his 200th AFL game.Dixon, the third-highest Port goalkicker this year with 30, missed the past two games with an ankle injury, but was named in the side and travellled to Sydney and will play barring any late setback.ddddddddddddIts nearly the first time for the year weve actually got a couple of fit tall forwards with Hof to be out there running around together, Hinkley said.Were interested to see what happens. Its probably been our desire to have more of that.We havent actually been able to do that as often as we would like either through form or through injury.Clearly up forward, its a much bigger assignment for the opposition backs when you have 197 and 202 and 200 (centimetre players) in your front half.Youve got to put people on them that can control them in the air and the good thing about our three talls is they are all quite agile at ground level, so it does cause them some structural issues, I imagine.He backed Jackson Trengrove to hold his own against Sydneys taller but inexperienced ruck duo of Sam Naismith and Toby Nankervis. ' ' '