Journeyman baseball slugger Dick Allen, a seven-time MLB all-star and the American League MVP in 1972, dabbled in race horses and once tried to use his stake in a stable as leverage in contract negotiations until someone pointed out he could support his horses a whole lot better than they could support him.
Wes Welker apparently has no such problem.
The Denver Broncos receiver had a much better day than the owners of California Chrome did Saturday at Belmont Park, where Undrafted scored a lucrative victory in the 6-furlong, Grade III Jaipur Stakes.
The 4-year-old gelding, named as an acknowledgement of Welker being passed up in the NFL draft coming out of Texas Tech, pulled away in the final furlong of the $300,000 race to win his first stakes by 1 1/2 lengths on the turf. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was aboard as Undrafted increased his career winnings to $362,040 in three starts -- in the ballpark with what Welker makes per game in the NFL.
Welker, who handed out $100 bills at the Kentucky Derby last month and later became embroiled in a dispute when Churchill Downs officials said they had overpaid when the receiver cashed out his winning tickets, was not present at Belmont.
Wesley Ward, who trains Undrafted, said the horse will next be shipped overseas for a stakes race at one of Great Britain's most historic courses.
"He ran fantastic," Ward told Newsday. "We're headed to the July Cup at Newmarket."
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