Note to Self: Its Not Over 'till Its Over

Thank you ABC for adding those white lines to your broadcast of Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Upon seeing that Mine That Bird, Dunkirk and Charitable Man were one, two and three, as they crossed one of those "white lines," I prematurely erupted into a celebration thinking that I had hit the trifecta. My good friend Jimma turned around and politely informed me that the race was not over yet. All my joy and happiness was swept away as I knew at that moment, I would not win the trifecta. It happens many times in sports. Those who celebrate too early and let up thinking they'll win, usually lose. See the 2004 New York Yankees. The 2007-08 New England Patriots. Or the New York Mets the last two seasons.

However, I was not totally disappointed when I realized that I had put $5 on Summer Bird to win. I had forgotten that I picked him and I did so on a whim, playing the jockey instead of the horse. It worked twice this year when I picked Eibar Coa and Musket Man to show. Kent Desormeaux was Big Brown's jockey last year and he had a good run until he got to Belmont. Desormeaux had to slow him down and Big Brown ended up finishing dead last.

Coming down the stretch yesterday, Mine That Bird, the 6-5 morning line favorite, raced past Dunkirk but it was Summer Bird who surprised everyone, beating the field by 2 3/4 lengths. Summer Bird went off at 11-1 odds and gave Desormeaux a victory he desperately wanted, especially after last years performance. "I hope from now on we'll talk about winning one," Desormeaux said.

Leading up to the race, Mine That Bird was acting frisky during the walk to the track, and once it started, he and jockey Calvin Borel were in contention earlier than they wanted to be. "He might have been a hair higher today coming in here, just a little more amped up," Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley said, "but overall he was the same horse I led up in the Derby. He ran a great race and just got beat, and you have to accept that and go on."

It was an unforgettable Triple Crown season that ended the way it began: with an upset. Mine That Bird blew away the field as a 50-1 long shot in the Kentucky Derby but yielded to Summer Bird in the test of champions. Calvin Borel missed his chance to get a personal triple crown as he rode Rachel Alexandra to a close victory in the Preakness. He would've been the first jockey to win the three races on two different horses.

Photo: Kent Desormeaux was all smiles aboard Summer Bird after winning the 141st Belmont Stakes. (Nick Laham/ Getty Images)(ESPN.com)