Sunday Silence
After the Preakness, both rivals returned to action three weeks later in the 1989 Belmont Stakes. During that era, New York was the only state in America that banned all race-day drugs and medications; New York didn't allow horses to race on any drugs, while the rest of the country did. The trainer of Sunday Silence, Charlie Whittingham, was angered that the controversial veterinarian Alex Harthill, who treated Sunday Silence earlier for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was not licensed in New York and prohibited from practicing. When the gate opened, both Easy Goer and Sunday Silence ran in close attendance to the pace-setting leader through swift early fractions, with Easy Goer making his move around the turn propelling himself to the lead; he then opened up a substantial lead through the stretch. Easy Goer defeated Sunday Silence by eight lengths in the time of 2:26 producing the second fastest Belmont Stakes in history, behind Secretariat, and denied Sunday Silence the Triple Crown. Easy Goer became the first two-year-old champion to win a Triple Crown race since Spectacular Bid in 1979. In the process, Easy Goer seemed to vindicate his reputation as the reigning champion two year-old. The jockey of Sunday Silence, Pat Valenzuela, described Easy Goer's performance as that of a superhorse. The race was run over a fast but not unusually quick track. Easy Goer earned a 122 Beyer Speed Figure, the best in any Triple Crown race since these ratings were first published in 1987.