Tapwrit wore down Irish War Cry to win the Belmont Stakes for Todd Pletcher.
A crowd of almost 60,000 came to see favored Irish War Cry, victor of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, stake a claim to some of the old glory.
The one-eyed Patch finished third in the 2400m "Test of Champions".
A $1.2m yearling bought at Fasig-Tipton, Tapwrit is owned by a partnership comprising Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Robert LaPenta. Irish War Cry earned $280,000, while Patch picked up $150,000.
Many fans weren't happy when Always Dreaming faltered in the Preakness three weeks ago, which meant that there would be no Triple Crown attempt in NY.
The grey son of champion sire Tapit duly became his trainer's third victor of the race after Rags To Riches (2007) and Palace Malice (2012); the victory also means Pletcher won two legs of this year's Triple Crown following the Kentucky Derby triumph of Always Dreaming. Tapwrit did just that Saturday, digging up the last of the sun-caked earth between him and the Belmont Park finish line and leaving trainer Todd Pletcher exultant. Handle on the race suffered from a lackluster field that did not include the Kentucky Derby victor, the Preakness victor, the expected favorite, or any clear standout.
"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.
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He has also become a regular in the Spanish national team , making his debut in 2014 and being a part of the Euro 2016 squad. Isco's rise to a crucial member of the Real Madrid first team meant there was simply no space for James.
"I don't think that it's been any secret that Jose has been a rising star for the last few years", Pletcher said.
Puerto Rico-born jockey Jose Ortiz assumed the bragging rights from his older brother when he guided 5/1 second-favourite Tapwrit to victory at the Belmont Stakes. Tapwrit had an excellent start in the race, and he was right behind Irish War Cry in the early portion. "We were hoping he had enough when it came crunch time".
"The distance, I was sure he could handle", Ortiz said. Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing both skipped the 149th running of the Belmont, and news broke Wednesday that would-be favorite Classic Empire could not make the race due to a hoof abscess.
"We kind of hoped that somebody else would go for it, but he had to go to Plan B and Rajiv did a great job". Because Epicharis was entered in the race, Japanese racing authorities allowed the simulcast to be imported into Japan for the first time, but the scratch of the horse likely significantly dampened the enthusiasm for the race in the country. Most of his rivals were in trouble as they turned for home but Tapwrit emerged from just off the pace with a strong challenge.
It took a while for Tapwrit to find his best gear.
Hollywood Handsome was pulled up after clipping heels with the horse in front of him, causing jockey Florent Geroux to lose his stirrups in the first turn.
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