It might not seem possible, but Rob Gronkowski probably loves the number 69 even more than he did just a few days ago.

That’s because the seemingly magic number helped the New England Patriots tight end win a nice little chunk of change on his namesake horse, Gronkowski, at the Belmont Stakes.

The race took place Saturday (the date was 6/9). And the horse just happened to open with 69-1 odds to win.

All of that surely helped prompt the five-time Pro Bowl selection, who recently became a co-owner of the horse that shares his name, and several of his associates to place $69 bets on the four-legged Gronkowski.


It didn’t look good for either creature named Gronk during the first third of the 1.5-mile race, with the horse in last place and way behind everyone else in the field.

But you can judge by the two-legged Gronkowski’s reaction while watching the race what happened next.

live look at Gronkowski watching Gronkowski pic.twitter.com/Tin4WRxZDj — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 9, 2018

Gronkowski the horse found his turbo boost over the final mile and overtook everyone except Triple Crown winner Justify for a second-place finish. The horse got a $280,000 payout for finishing second.


John Breech of CBS Sports brilliantly equates the horse’s comeback to rallying from a 28-3 deficit in the Super Bowl, which is what the Patriots did against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017.

It all meant a little extra cash for Gronk and his pals — and, surely, an even greater love for the number 69.

Gronk and all his buddies placed $69 bets on Gronkowski the horse to place, so they’re heading back to New England very happy. pic.twitter.com/eQ6OBpGGsC — Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) June 9, 2018

charles.schilken@latimes.com


Twitter: @chewkiii