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I knew Affirmed had the heart. But for some things, like stamina, it's not a question of heart. If you run out of gas, you run out. I slept well the night before the race. Soon after getting to the track, I made for the jocks' room. I liked to get there early because, once I was in there, it was like a haven. I could at least keep the press and some things at bay. Play cards. Shoot a little pool. Re-read the Form. Focus. Try not to get overwhelmed by the situation. I was invigorated about a chance to win the Triple Crown. I knew it would be tough, but I had my vision of how I wanted the race to go. I got a nice boost by winning a couple of other races before the Belmont (as well as one after). It's kind of like a golfer making a couple of birdies early in the round. It gets you off to a good start. Of course, you never know how a race will go until the gates open. In the gate, I was calm. Focused. Thinking about the game plan. Other than Alydar, only three other horses were in the race, so traffic was not a concern. I wanted to get out early and slow the pace, and that's exactly what happened. I didn't even have to look when Alydar moved up to me on the backside, about seven furlongs out. I could actually hear the crowd roar from the backside. Normally that doesn't happen. But there were 65,000 people in the stands, and to them, it was "here's what we've been waiting for!" I didn't want to get hooked into an early speed duel, and I didn't think Jorge did either. So I glanced over and looked him in the eye. As if to say, "well, if you wanna go, then go." None of the other jockeys made a move. They were hoping an Affirmed-Alydar speed duel would open the door for a late move. But it became a game of cat and mouse. I sat there and kept the pace reasonably slow for the next three furlongs. Going into the final turn, the real racing began. The pace increased, with Affirmed on the rail and me wanting to hold position. As we worked our way toward the quarter pole, I started to feel a little bit of fatigue in Affirmed. I realized we were going to have to dig deep and pull out everything, because I could see Alydar was still going very strong.  Affirmed and Cauthen on the inside win the Belmont Stakes just ahead of Alydar and Velasquez. Jorge and I were both asking our horses for more and more, almost to the point of asking for everything. It was literally nip and tuck. For a split second, Alydar might have stuck his head in front – with three-sixteenths of a mile to go. That's when I did something I had thought about doing many times, but had never done in previous races. I switched sticks and hit Affirmed left-handed for the first time ever in a race. He responded just as I had hoped. Whether you want to say he was spurred on, woke up or shocked, he immediately dug in and stuck his head back in front. From that point on, I felt like we had the race. Of course, it was still very tight, and we were whipping and driving and giving everything we had. At the finish line, Affirmed had Alydar by a head. I knew we'd won. I raised my stick. Emotions poured out, starting with relief. I was very, very proud of both the horse and myself for holding up to the pressure. Three races. Three wins. A length and a half. A neck. A head. What a sense of satisfaction to have played a part in what Affirmed did for racing. I hope the next Triple Crown heroes will thunder down the stretch soon. And when they do – I'll remember the day Affirmed and I won the Triple Crown.
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