Many don't know what to make of Epicharis considering the victor of that race, Thunder Snow, was 20th in the Kentucky Derby. But Tapwrit seemed to come out of the Derby in good shape and Pletcher started to have the kind of worries horse trainers dream about.
Things have a way of working out for Pletcher, victor of a record seven Eclipse Awards as the leading trainer in North America, and they worked out again this time.
The only Belmont entry to run in the Derby and Preakness is Lookin At Lee (Post 6).
Irish War Cry appeared to have the race in hand turning for home and held a length advantage over Tapwrit in upper stretch, but under left-handed urging from Ortiz, Tapwrit kicked into high gear to wrest control with 100 yards left and go on to victory.
Follow the action at the Belmont Stakes with our live blog. His sire, Curlin, finished second in the 2007 Belmont and produced the 2013 victor, Palace Malice. Palace Malice got the job done six years later.
"I'm hoping for a good result because he's getting good support from Japan, the horsemen, and the other connections, so I'm sure that Japan is hoping for a good result", he said. "And we felt like with the five weeks in between (the Derby and the Belmont), and the way this horse had trained he had a legitimate chance". He hasn't raced since finishing second in the UAE Derby on March 25. Irad, meanwhile, rode Creator, pushing him to overtake Destin by a nose.
"Tapwrit was getting a handsome trail and it was everything that we'd talked about before the race".
"The horse was close to being able to compete but we ran out of time", trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara said through a translator. "It looked like Irish War Cry still had something left, but the last sixteenth, he dug down deep".
Irish War Cry's trainer Graham Motion entered the race after his colt's disappointing 10th-place finish in last month's Kentucky Derby. Ortiz was aboard for both of those misadventures.
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It was testament to Pletcher and his team's work, as they've enjoyed another tremendous season. I think a lot of people would like to say they were there when that horse had its breakthrough race, so people should show up. "Today he showed up".
Tapwrit finished sixth, 10 1/4 lengths behind his stablemate in the Derby, but had to steady early when Irish War Cry cut across the field soon after the start and had a less-than-ideal trip the rest of the way.
Tapwrit's winning time for 1 1/2 miles was 2:30.02. He returned $12.60 to win. It was a long way back to 'TDN Rising Star' Patch (Union Rags) in third.
The Belmont victor, a $1.2 million yearling purchase at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga yearling sale in 2015, is co-owned by Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Robert LaPenta. Ortiz's brother Irad Jr. won the race a year ago with Creator.
A number of horses were conspicuous in their absence.
Of the 148 previous runnings of the Belmont Stakes, 62 have been won by the betting favorite (or 42 per cent). Classic Empire, the expected favourite, dropped out Wednesday with a foot abscess.
The 2017 Belmont lost some of its worldwide flavor when Japan's Epicharis, the UAE Derby's runner-up, was scratched after a morning vet check revealed a right front foot problem had failed to respond to treatment.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll lists Lookin At Lee as the best horse in the remaining field of 11, and his 5-to-1 odds, now second best, seem to reaffirm his favorite status.
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