2017 Belmont Stakes

The 2017 Belmont Stakes was the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes and the 106th time the event took place at Belmont Park. The 1 1⁄2-mile (2,400 m) race, known as the "test of the champion", is the final jewel in Thoroughbred horse racing's American Triple Crown series.[3] The race was on June 10, 2017, and was broadcast by NBC starting at 5 PM EDT.[4] For the second straight year, the Belmont did not have a Triple Crown at stake, as 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming had lost in the Preakness Stakes. The race was won by Tapwrit.[5]

149th Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
"The Test of the Champion"
LocationBelmont Park
Elmont, New York, United States
DateJune 10, 2017 (2017-06-10)
Distance1 1⁄2 mi (12 furlongs; 2,414 m)
Winning horseTapwrit
Winning time2:30.02
JockeyJosé Ortiz
TrainerTodd Pletcher
OwnerBridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Robert LaPenta
ConditionsFast[1]
SurfaceDirt
Attendance57,729[2]

Field

The connections of both Always Dreaming, the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner, and Cloud Computing, the winner of the 2017 Preakness Stakes, decided to bypass the Belmont.[6][7] Classic Empire would have been the favorite of the remaining contenders for the race, but was withdrawn on June 7 because of a recurrent foot abscess.[8] Classic Empire, the champion two-year-old colt of 2016, finished fourth in the Derby and second in the Preakness.[9]

Another leading contender was Epicharis, a Japanese-bred horse who qualified on the 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby but who bypassed that race to focus on the Belmont. The New York Racing Association offers a $1-million bonus to any Japan-based horse who wins the Belmont.[10] Epicharis entered a one-week isolation protocol on May 25 and shipped to Belmont Park on June 1. Unfortunately, Epicharis went lame on June 7 and was scratched on June 10 by the state veterinarian. "He had foot soreness – heel soreness – earlier in the week and he just wasn’t sound", said Scott Palmer, NYRA's equine medical director. "In a week maybe he could be ready, but we ran out of time. The right decision was made. The top priority is the horse."[11]

In their absence, Irish War Cry was made the morning line favorite at odds of 7–2.[12] Irish War Cry won the Wood Memorial Stakes in April and finished tenth in the Kentucky Derby.[13]

Other confirmed contenders include Tapwrit (Tampa Bay Derby); Gormley (Santa Anita Derby); J Boys Echo (Gotham Stakes); Lookin At Lee (2nd Kentucky Derby); Multiplier (Illinois Derby); Senior Investment (Lexington Stakes); Twisted Tom (Federico Tesio Stakes);[9] Meantime (2nd Peter Pan Stakes); Patch (2nd Louisiana Derby); and Hollywood Handsome (5th Illinois Derby).[14][15]

The post position draw was held on June 7.[16]

Race description

Even though a Triple Crown was not at stake, the race drew a good crowd of 57,729.[2] The start was good, but the field was tightly bunched going into the first turn. At the back of the pack, longshot Hollywood Handsome checked sharply after almost clipping heels with the horses in front of him, causing jockey Florent Geroux to lose his stirrups. Hollywood Handsome raced out of control for nearly a quarter of a mile before Geroux was able to pull him up. The horse was vanned off the racetrack as a safety precaution but suffered only a laceration below the left knee.[17]

With no true speed horses in the race, Irish War Cry went to the lead and set a moderate pace. Tapwrit and Gormley raced together just off the pace and made their moves rounding the far turn. Tapwrit had the better acceleration and started closing ground on Irish War Cry down the stretch. As the gap narrowed, Tapwrit drifted out to the center of the track then drifted back towards the rail, brushing lightly with Irish War Cry. In the final strides, Tapwrit pulled clear, ultimately winning by two lengths. Patch closed ground late to beat out Gormley for third.[1][17]

"Tapwrit was getting a beautiful trip", said Pletcher. "It was everything we talked about in the paddock before the race. We were hoping he had enough when it came to crunch time. It looked like Irish War Cry still had something left, but the last sixteenth, [Tapwrit] dug down deep."[2]

"It actually wasn't our plan to be on the lead", said Graham Motion, the trainer of Irish War Cry. "We kind of hoped that somebody else would go for it, but he had to go to Plan B and [jockey] Rajiv [Maragh] did a great job."[17]

The first four finishers had all run in the Derby, then skipped the Preakness. "We felt like with the five weeks in between, and with the way this horse had trained, that he had a legitimate chance", said Pletcher, who is based at Belmont Park. "I think that's always an advantage."[18]

Chart
FinishNumberHorseJockeyTrainerOpening
Odds		Post Time
Odds		Winnings
1 2 Tapwrit José Ortiz Todd Pletcher 6-1 5.30 $800,000
2 7 Irish War Cry Rajiv Maragh H. Graham Motion 7-2 2.70 $280,000
3 12 Patch John Velazquez Todd Pletcher 12-1 12.40 $150,000
4 3 Gormley Victor Espinoza John Shirreffs 8-1 9.10 $100,000
5 8 Senior Investment Channing Hill Kenneth McPeek 12-1 8.40 $60,000
6 1 Twisted Tom Javier Castellano Chad Brown 20-1 9.80 $45,000
7 6 Lookin At Lee Irad Ortiz Jr. Steve Asmussen 5-1 6.20 $35,000
8 9 Meantime Mike E. Smith Brian Lynch 15-1 13.40 $30,000
9 4 J Boys Echo Robby Albarado Dale Romans 15-1 11.50
10 10 Multiplier Joel Rosario Brendan Walsh 15-1 14.10
DNF 5 Hollywood Handsome Florent Geroux Dallas Stewart 30-1 23.10
  • Margins: 2 lengths, ​6 3⁄4 lengths
  • Track: Fast

Times: ​1⁄4 mile – 0:23.88; ​1⁄2 mile – 0:48.86; ​3⁄4 mile – 1:14.01; mile – 1:38.95; ​1 1⁄4 miles – 2:04.10; final – 2:30.02.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (:23.88) (:24.78) (:25.35) (:24.94) (:25.15) (:25.92)

Epicharis (#11) was scratched.[11]

Payout

The payouts for the Belmont Stakes were as follows:[1]

Program
number		 Horse Name Win Place Show
2 Tapwrit $12.80 $6.50 $5.00
7 Irish War Cry – $4.70 $3.90
12 Patch – – $6.50

See also

References
  1. "Chart of the Belmont Stakes". Equibase. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. Balan, Jeremy. "Tapwrit Wears Down Irish War Cry to Win Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  3. "Triple Crown season arrives". The Baltimore Sun. May 5, 2017.
  4. "Belmont Stakes 2017". NBC Sports. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. Drape, Joe. "Tapwrit Wins the Belmont in a Field More Barren Than Most". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  6. "Always Dreaming Officially Ruled Out of Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  7. "It's official: Cloud Computing will skip Belmont Stakes | Daily Racing Form". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  8. "Champion Classic Empire to Miss Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  9. "Classic Empire to Begin Belmont Training May 26". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  10. "Epicharis Begins Journey to Belmont Park". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  11. "Epicharis Out of Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  12. Chiari, Mike. "Belmont Stakes 2017 Post Positions: Complete Listing for Every Horse". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  13. "Belmont Scenario Shifts With Classic Empire's Absence". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  14. "Irish War Cry, Hollywood Handsome to Belmont". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  15. "Good Feelings Still Flowing for Espinoza". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  16. "Irish War Cry 7-2 Morning-Line Pick for Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  17. "$1.2 Million Gamble Pays Off As Tapwrit Captures Belmont Stakes". www.paulickreport.com. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  18. Harris, Beth. "Tapwrit Wins Belmont Stakes by 2 Lengths". Time. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
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