Summer Bird, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, denying a unique personal Triple Crown bid by jockey Calvin Borel aboard Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.Borel, trying to become the first jockey to win all three legs of the Triple Crown on two different horses, guided Mine That Bird from last to the lead heading into the sweeping final turn in the 1-1/2-mile (2400m) race.But Summer Bird responded under Desormeaux, who captured his first victory in the Belmont - a

Summer Bird, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, denying a unique personal Triple Crown bid by jockey Calvin Borel aboard Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Borel, trying to become the first jockey to win all three legs of the Triple Crown on two different horses, guided Mine That Bird from last to the lead heading into the sweeping final turn in the 1-1/2-mile (2400m) race.

But Summer Bird responded under Desormeaux, who captured his first victory in the Belmont - a race where he had twice had his hopes of Triple Crown glory dashed.

"I thought I was home free," Borel said. "But the other horses galloped by."

Summer Bird, who went off at 11-1, beat Dunkirk by 2-3/4 lengths with Mine That Bird third.

Mine That Bird's unlikely Kentucky Derby triumph and Borel's subsequent defection to super filly Rachel Alexandra for the Preakness ensured the spotlight would be on the unimposing gelding trained by Chip Woolley.

But it was another son of 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone - Summer Bird - who starred on the New York stage.

For Hall of Fame jockey Desormeaux it was a measure of solace for two heartbreakers at Belmont.

Twice he had arrived at the final jewel of US flat racing's coveted Triple Crown with a chance to complete the sweep - in 1998 aboard Real Quiet and last year on Big Brown.

In 1998, Real Quiet lost by a nose to Victory Gallop while last year Desormeaux pulled up his out-of-sorts mount in a move later second-guessed by trainer Rick Dutrow jnr.

Only 11 horses have completed the coveted treble, the last Affirmed in 1978.

An protest filed by Charitable Man jockey Alan Garcia, against Dunkirk for interference, was disallowed by the stewards.