What Horses Are Running In Belmont Stakes 2017
As we stand right now, just short of two weeks out from the Belmont Stakes, there are still 14 horses being pointed at the race. We aren't likely to have that many in the gate, but it's going to be a larger field - mainly because there is no one to scare anyone off in the group. As is often the case, a large portion of that field is made up of horses who we saw in the Kentucky Derby - eight of the 14 potential runners. Those horses have two big advantage over others - they have run a mile and a quarter already, which is further than any horse who hasn't run in the Derby will have gone, so they will be more ready for the grueling mile and a half of the Belmont. And, simply, they were good enough to get into the Derby, so they are probably better than some of the horses who skipped the biggest three year old race in the world. Here's a quick look at the eight (odds to win the Belmont are from MyBookie ):
Belmont Stakes Past Winners - Listing of previous Belmont Stakes winners from 1867 until present. Belmont Park - is the annual host racetrack of the Belmont Stakes. Belmont Stakes Song Lyrics - Lyrics for New York, New York sung by Frank Sinatra; 2019 Belmont Stakes Video Replay - Sir Winston Wins Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. Twelve horses are scheduled to break from the starting gates at 5:37 p.m. CDT Saturday in the 149th Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A rundown on the horses most likely to enter the 2017 Belmont Stakes (On Monday, Gormley was confirmed for Belmont Stakes entry, and the colt has been added to this list): Classic Empire was the. Belmont Stakes, oldest and longest of the three classic horse races (with the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes) that constitute the Triple Crown of American horse racing.The Belmont Stakes originated in 1867 and is named after the financier, diplomat, and sportsman August Belmont.It has been run at various distances and tracks in its history.
2020 Belmont Stakes Day generates $67,753,336 in all-sources handle Saturday's 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card, featuring six graded stakes and highlighted by Tiz the Law's victory in the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, generated all-sources handle of $67,753,336.
The Iron Horses
Classic Empire (+140): He was fourth in the Derby despite an absolutely brutal trip and controlled the Preakness until being caught just before the wire by Cloud Computing. And his breeding is very well suited to this race - his sire, Pioneerof the Nile, sired a Triple Crown winner and is the son of a Belmont winner. The horse will have a big target on his back because he will be the favorite, so he will need a strong tactical ride from Julien Leparoux. He is fully capable of winning this race, though.
Lookin at Lee (+380): Like Classic Empire, Lookin at Lee has a second and a fourth in the first two Triple Crown races. He benefitted from an absolutely perfect dream trip in the Derby, but was still solid in the Preakness and has made a habit of being a part of most races he runs in. He doesn't like to win, though, so he'll need lots of luck and a bit more determination than usual. With his heart and experience, he's a factor, though.
Coming In More Rested
Irap (+1000): I like almost nothing about this horse except his breeding. His win in the Blue Grass Stakes came in one of the most bizarre and inexplicable prep races I have ever watched in my life - and I watch all of them. His non-effort in the Derby was just embarrassing. And I don't trust jockey Mario Gutierrez to make good decisions in this massively tactical race. And trainer Doug O'Neill is my least favorite trainer in the sport. So, no, I won't be betting on him.
Gormley (+1000): He won the Santa Anita Derby, which puts him in some pretty good company lately. But that race was really slow and just lousy, and this horse looked pretty bad in the Derby - or, at the very least, completely irrelevant. He has multiple graded stakes wins, so he is classy, and his breeding is solid, so he has to be viewed as a factor. The price would have to be right, though - which means better than what the odds are at right now.
Tapwrit (+800): His sire, Tapit, has sired two of the last three Belmont Stakes winners, so for that reason alone this horse has to be taken seriously. After an eye-opening performance in the Tampa Bay Derby which put him near the top of the list of Derby contenders, though, he was awful in the Blue Grass and a very flattering sixth in the Derby. I really can't fight the feeling that this is a colt that peaked too early, but there is talent here if it can be tapped (pun intended) into.
Patch (+1500): This colt has only one eye - a fact you heard about six million times if you watched the entire Derby broadcast. That fact led a lot of casual bettors to back this colt, and they all had their money wasted. He was lousy. I don't like that, and I don't like his real shortage of experience. I would rule him out entirely, but his breeding is ridiculous - his sire (Union Rags) won the Belmont, and his damsire (A.P. Indy) won the race, sired a winner of the race, and is the son of a Triple Crown winner and has another Triple Crown winner as his damsire. He was bred to run in this race.
J Boys Echo (+3000): Three races back he ran a race that was easy to love in the Gotham when he beat Preakness winner Cloud Computing handily. Since then, though, he has been lousy. He was one of the many horses to have a terrible day in that bizarre Blue Grass, and he basically quit right out of the gate in the Derby and was never a real part of the race. I like the talent, and the breeding is okay, but I am not confident we can again see the effort he will need to have to be a factor here.
Irish War Cry (+900): Trainer Graham Motion has started to hint that this horse could be a part of the Belmont field, which made him the fourth possible contender. He was my top choice in the Derby, so I am still bitter - after a rough start he faded badly in the stretch, and finished 10th. He's a much better horse than he showed there, though, so I would relish another shot at backing him.
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Calumet Farm's True Timberwill not run in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, Kiaran McLaughlin said Friday morning. The son of Mineshaft was withdrawn early this morning after being diagnosed with a fever, and will have to wait to make his eighth career start.
'He spiked a temperature yesterday,' McLaughlin said. 'He didn't eat, so we're off the Belmont trail. Hopefully he just misses a few days of training, but he certainly can't run.'
True Timber finished third in the Sir Barton on the May 20 Preakness Day undercard at Pimlico after a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
This year's Belmont Stakes will mark 11 years since McLaughlin won the race with Jazil in 2006. The anniversary brings fond memories for McLaughlin who now will be a spectator during the 149th running of the Stakes.
'It was great when Jazil won,' he said. 'It was very important for me. It's my only American classic winner. It was great for Sheik Hamdan, Shadwell, a big owner of mine. To win the race was just fabulous. What I remember then that was interesting, [was everybody] talking about works. We didn't work him a week out. Everybody thought we couldn't win going a mile and a half. He was fit from the Derby, and he worked two weeks out. We just got a little unlucky with the weather. He ran huge that day. Good memories.'
The McLaughlin barn will still be busy throughout next week, and hope to continue to add to the winning streak set by Godolphin's Dickinson who will run in the Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just a Game on the June 10 program. The 5-year-old mare, in search of her fourth straight victory took another step in her preparation for the race after breezing four furlongs in 48 3/5 seconds at the Greentree Training Center.
Originally a dirt runner, Dickinson was entered on the turf for the first time in September 2016 at Parx. She responded with a 4 ½ length victory, and returned to score again against tougher. Her next start was a disappointing finish in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes at Gulfstream Park - her first start this year. The Medaglia d'Oro mare then returned with Paco Lopez in the saddle and rattled off three straight victories in the Grade 3 Swanee River, Grade 2 Hillsborough and the Grade 1 Jenny Wily respectively where she bested the talented Lady Eli by a head. McLaughlin is pleased with her progression, but the Just a Game may be her toughest contest yet.
'We're excited. She's doing great,' McLaughlin said. 'It's a very tough race, a good division. We're happy that Lady Eli went out to California and won, but this is going to be a tough race. Anytime you run in a grade one it's going to be tough. You know that going in. It's a grade one for a reason. We're just really happy for our filly. Paco Lopez is undefeated on her, and we'll have him aboard. The mile should be fine. She'll ship down next Friday unless she has to come early.'
The switch to grass started a complete turnaround for Dickinson's career with just two victories from seven starts on dirt. Her pedigree and lackluster efforts prompted the change.
'She started not running so well. She's by Medaglia d'Oro which means she has both turf and dirt pedigree, but she's out of Little Belle who is all dirt so we kept on dirt, dirt, dirt, and finally switched over, and I'm glad we did. I mean she's five for six, and a Grade One winner. It's fabulous. Her last race obviously was great. She beat Lady Eli in a photo finish, and we had a lot of trouble in the race, but it worked out well.'
Source: NYRA Communications
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