Belmont Stakes: Jazil, the Unlikely Hero Who Paved the Way for Invasor's Glory
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Twenty years after his triumph, he is still remembered as the horse who transformed the careers of Kiaran McLaughlin and Fernando Jara, before both reached immortality alongside the legendary champion
SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special for Turf Diario).– Few victories in the Belmont Stakes (G1) were as unexpected as the one achieved by Jazil in 2006. He wasn't the favorite, he arrived with more questions than answers, and he was ridden by an 18-year-old jockey. Yet, that afternoon at Belmont Park ended up writing one of the most memorable stories in recent US Triple Crown history and, in the process, paved the way for one of the most glorious chapters that the team of Kiaran McLaughlin, Fernando Jara, and Shadwell Stable would later experience with the unforgettable Invasor (Candy Stripes).
This year marks two decades since that definitive performance. On June 10, 2006, before more than 61,000 spectators, the son of Seeking the Gold unleashed his trademark closing kick from the back of the pack to capture the "Test of the Champion," covering the 2400 meters in 2m27.86s and defeating Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat) by 1 1/4 lengths.
Bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables and purchased by Shadwell for $725,000 at the Keeneland sales, Jazil was a horse of modest physical proportions but extraordinary stamina. "He wasn't big, but he wanted to run all day," recalls McLaughlin, who at the time had not yet won a Triple Crown race.
His stakes campaign had shown interesting flashes. After finishing second to Bob and John (Seeking the Gold) in the Wood Memorial (G1), where he was last by more than 20 lengths before closing furiously, he delivered a similar performance in the Kentucky Derby (G1), rallying from the rear to share fourth place behind the unforgettable Barbaro (Dynaformer).
With that background, the Belmont appeared to be an ideal opportunity for a horse whose primary virtue was precisely his endurance. However, the preparation was unconventional. McLaughlin decided to cancel the final sharp work due to track conditions following heavy rain.
"You always like to maintain the routine, but I felt he didn't need it. We made the right call that time," the trainer recalled.
The race did not start smoothly either. Jazil hit the gate at the break, and Jara lost a stirrup. None of that altered the plan. The colt dropped to last once again and began to build, step by step, a memorable comeback.
"He was a very easy horse to ride because he always did the same thing: he would break and go to the back. He would let you know when it was time to start running," Jara said. "In the Belmont, I felt he wanted to move from the 1000-meter mark, and I just had to find room."
The image remains forever etched in memory. While his rivals began to feel the toll of the 2400 meters, Jazil appeared with a devastating rally to take control in the stretch and hold on to the wire.
For Jara, that triumph changed his life: "I had grown up watching the Triple Crown races. Winning the Belmont at such a young age was a dream come true," he recalled.
And it didn't just transform his career. Following that victory, McLaughlin and Shadwell reaffirmed their confidence in the young Panamanian and handed him the reins of a horse that had just arrived from South America and was destined to alter the recent history of international racing: Invasor.
The Uruguayan Triple Crown champion won his next five starts with Jara, all of them Grade 1 events: the Suburban Handicap, the Whitney Handicap, the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Donn Handicap, and the Dubai World Cup. He would later be crowned Horse of the Year in the United States and inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"After the Belmont, they gave me the opportunity to ride Invasor. He was a monster," Jara summarized. "A victory in the Belmont can open a lot of doors."
Jazil never reached that dimension on the track again. He raced just three more times before retiring and subsequently had a modest stallion career, which was cut short by a fatal accident in 2014.
