At 5/2 odds, Union Rags did it, beating out Paynter at the finish of the 2012 Belmont Stakes. The unofficial time was 2:30.42. Paynter looked good from the start, leading the pack for the the first quarter mile, but as the final stretch approached it was Union Rags that pulled out the victory in an extremely close win — literally, by a nose.

Union Rags and Paynter became the favorites to win after horse, I’ll Have Another suffered and injury and was taken out of the race. The Belmont Stakes, over a mile and a half, is worth a cool $1 million purse and will surely leave the Union Rags team very happy.

Watch the race and the epic conclusion, here:

[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2–2Yi9KFZU[/youtube]