The 149th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on June 10, 2017 at Belmont Park in Elmwood, New York. The race is the final leg of the Triple Crown and is limited to 16 starters who’ll race on Belmont’s dirt track for a distance of a mile and a half. In recent years, the Belmont has been the site of the biggest stories in racing. In 2014, California Chrome took a shot at becoming the 12^th Triple Crown winner in history but fell short in his quest. That set the stage for 2015 when American Pharoah sealed the deal and joined horse racing’s immortals as a Triple Crown winner.

• 2017 Belmont Horses Horse
• 2017 Belmont Horses Pictures
• 2017 Belmont Horses For Sale
• 2017 Belmont Horses For Sale

1. Jun 19, 2017 The 2017 Belmont Stakes was run on Saturday, June 20th at beautiful Belmont Park. This year was not a Triple Crown year and, in fact, neither the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming nor the 2017 Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing were entered in the $1.5 million mile and a half final Triple Crown “Test of 3 year old Champions.”.
2. Jun 05, 2017 Horse Racing Belmont Stakes 2017 Horses: Entry List, Vegas Odds and Dark-Horse Favorites James Dudko @ @JamesDudko. Featured Columnist June 5, 2017 Comments. Michael Reaves/Getty Images.

The big story this year is likely who won’t be running in the race. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing are passing on the Belmont Stakes. The flip side of this situation is that it should be a wide open race which could mean a big payday with an underdog winner.

The late-running sort came with his customary closing kick after trailing all but one horse for six furlongs, rallying after being fanned seven wide at the top of the stretch to win by a head at odds of 11-1. In the 2017 Kentucky Derby, Senior Investment charged home late and went from seventh to third in the final 100 yards.

The contender field will be finalized on Wednesday, June 7. Once the field is finalized the post positions for the Belmont will be assigned and morning line odds set. Below is a rundown of likely entrants—check back often for updates:

–Conquest Mo Money: Didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby, finished 7^th in the Preakness. Had a decent Derby prep campaign with second place finishes in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and Grade 2 Sunland Derby. Trained by Miguel Hernandez with jockey Jorge Carreno likely to be aboard. Most observers think that Conquest Mo Money could be a decent horse at a lower level of racing but is in over his head here.

–Epicharis: What do you say about a Japanese horse with two career races, neither of which were in the United States? He broke his maiden in February at the Hyacinth Stakes in Tokyo but looked solid in a second place run at the Grade 2 UAE Derby at Meydan Race Course in Dubai. Was under consideration for the Preakness but his connections ultimately passed. Very much a question mark that has a strong contingent of railbirds expressing enthusiasm. Depending on the price, might be worth using on exotics. Trained by Kiyoshi Hagiwara with jockey assignment unknown.

–Gormley: Ran out of gas in the Kentucky Derby at 1 ¼ mile but his connections used the weather and muddy track as a rationalization. Won the Santa Anita Derby from off the pace though far from a decisive win. Prevailed by ½ length turning in a mediocre 88 Beyer. Solid trainer in John Shirreffs and an excellent jockey in Victor Espinoza. Plenty of questions about the decision to run him here. With his stamina already in question hard to see the sense in running him at a longer distance.

–Irap: Won the Blue Grass Stakes in a mild upset. Unimpressive in the Sunland Derby. The ‘glass half full’ view was that he’d shown improvement every time out. The ‘glass half empty’ view is that he’s faced overmatched opponents his entire career. The latter might be the reality after he laid an egg in the Kentucky Derby finishing 18th. Trainer Doug O’Neill, jockey Mario Gutierrez. Same handicap as for the Kentucky Derby–hard to see him stepping up in competitive class successfully. This is particularly true at a longer distance.

–J Boys Echo: Had never finished lower than 4^th in his career until a 15^th in the Kentucky Derby. Weather and track conditions may have been a factor. This Dale Romans trained entry remains something of a question mark. Got a perfect pace in his first career win in the Grade 3 Gotham turning in a 102 Beyer in the process. Got a terrible pace in the Grade 2 Blue Grass finishing fourth against weak competition. Jockey Luis Saez.

–Lookin at Lee: A lot of ‘wise guys’ were big on Lookin at Lee heading into the Kentucky Derby and their support was validated with a 2^nd place finish at 20-1 odds. Followed that up with a 4^th place run in the Preakness. Trained by Steve Asmussen, jockey Corie Lanerie. This could be a perfect spot for him to win. The pace should be to his liking and everything suggests that he’ll handle the distance well.

–Meantime: Finished second in his stakes debut on this track in the Grade 3 Peter Pan back in May. Broke his maiden in his previous race, a Maiden Special Weight at Keeneland and finished 2^nd in his career debut. A lot to like about this horse who is a powerful speedster but the usual question remains—is he ready for this level of competition after 3 races? Bryan Lynch is the trainer, Jose Ortiz the likely jockey.

–Multiplier: This Brendan Walsh trained horse has a lot of fans despite a sixth place finish in the Preakness. Career mirrors so many in the modern three year old scene where connections favor racing lightly early in his career. Finished third in his career debut, a MSW at Fair Grounds before winning his first shot in a stakes race as the took the Grade 3 Illinois Derby. Joel Rosario is the jockey. So many horses enter this race not ready for the competitive class but Multiplier isn’t one of them. Should be a decent bet at significant odds.

–Patch: The one-eyed horse that became a media darling in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby where he finished 14^th. Second in the Louisiana Derby with a win in his career debut. He has talent but is very raw. He’s a media sensation as he only has one eye—the other eye was removed after an ulcer failed to heal properly. Got a bad draw and bad trip in the Derby and the likely pace in the Belmont should help him. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Todd Pletcher.

–Senior Investment: Strong closing horse that finished third in the Preakness after a ho-hum three year old season up until that point. Won the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland but finished 6^th in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby two weeks earlier. Very strong closing fractions in the Preakness have given his supporters hope that this is a perfect spot for him. Needs a dry track to be successful. Trainer Ken McPeek with jockey Channing Hill.

2017 Belmont Horses Horse

–Tapwrit: Improving horse finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby after a fifth place run in the Blue Grass Stakes. Needs a good trip to be successful but hasn’t found it the last time out. Won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby earlier this year, second in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis and a winner in the Pulpit Stakes. in the Blue Grass. He’s shown improvement every time out and has solid connections with trainer Todd Pletcher. Jose Ortiz was aboard in the Kentucky Derby but he might take the mount on Meantime here.

2017 Belmont Horses Pictures

–Twisted Tom: Original plan was to run him in the May 29 Commentator Handicap at Belmont but his connections are pleased after two straight wins at Laurel to start his three year old career. That likely motivated the decision to take a shot at this race. Could be a horse that is capable of stepping up in class.

The 149th running of the Belmont Stakes took place on June 10, and HorseDoc® ‘Talking Horses’® presents a firsthand report by Dr. Gregory Beroza.

The 2017 Belmont Stakes was run on Saturday, June 20th at beautiful Belmont Park. This year was not a Triple Crown year and, in fact, neither the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming nor the 2017 Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing were entered in the $1.5 million mile and a half final Triple Crown “Test of 3 year old Champions.”

Unlike some previous years, the two most favored horses Tapwrit (second favorite at 5-1) and Irish War Cry (favorite at 5-2 odds), finished first and second. Lookin At Lee at 6-1 odds finished seventh out of 11 entries and was the only horse to compete in all three 2017 Triple Crown races. Tapwrit’s time for the 1.5 miles was 2:30.02 minutes. The track record is 2:24.00 minutes held by the great Secretariat in 1973. Patch at 12-1 odds finished third and Gormley at 8-1 odds finished fourth. Hollywood Handsome ran into a problem on the backside, received a minor laceration to the back of his knee, was prudently pulled-up early by jockey Florent Geroux and didn’t complete the race. Epicharis was scratched from the Belmont on Saturday morning due to a sore right front hoof.

Tapwrit, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Jose Ortiz, now has a record of 4-1-0 in eight starts. By winning the Belmont Stakes, the $1.2 million dollar yearling purchase added $800,000 to his $1,143,902 earnings for his owners Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta. After the Belmont, Todd Pletcher stated that, “[Belmont Park] is our home base and I think that’s always an advantage.” This was Pletcher’s third Belmont Stakes win (Rags to Riches in 2007 and Palace Malace in 2013), and Ortiz’s first. Pletcher tied his mentor D. Wayne Lukas’ record from 1996 for having won both the Kentucky Derby (Pletcher with Always Dreaming and Lukas with Grindstone) and the Belmont Stakes (Pletcher with Tapwrit and Lukas with Editor’s Note) in those two Triple Crown races in the same year.

Tapit has now sired three Belmont Stakes winners: Tapwrit (2017), Creator (2016) and Tonalist (2014). Tapit’s sons Lani (third in 2016) and Frosted (second in 2015) also finished in former Belmont Stakes in the money. Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing and Tapwrit potentially could meet up again in the summer or fall in the Haskell, Jim Dandy, Travers and Breeders Cup races to help determine the best three year old racehorse of 2017.

NYRA/Joe Labozzetta

Earlier Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert had a stellar day winning four stakes races and $1,387,000 in purses by winning the Grade I $700,000 Acorn with Abel Tasman, the $1,200,000 Grade I Metropolitan Handicap with Mor Spirit, the $500,000 Grade II Woody Stephens with American Anthem, and the $150,000 Easy Goer with West Coast. Mike Smith was the winning jockey for all four races. Mike Smith also rode Jerry Hollendorfer-trained superstar four year old mare Songbird, who went off at 1-2 odds, to victory in the Grade I $750,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes. That was Smith’s fifth stakes win on Saturday.

Also just before Saturday’s Belmont Stakes race, Graham Motion, trainer of Irish War Cry, pulled off an upset win of the Grade I $1 million dollar Woodford Reserve Manhattan turf race with long shot Ascend, a five year old gelding going off at 27-1 odds. Ascend was ridden by Jose Ortiz, the same jockey who in the very next race rode Tapwrit against Motion’s Irish War Cry to win the Belmont Stakes.

The 2017 Belmont Stakes Festival took place from Thursday, June 8th through Saturday, June 10th. Friday night, the audience was entertained by popular Billy Joel sound alike group Big Shot and Saturday night with an Andy Grammer concert. On Saturday, the backside was filled with vendors, assorted foods, events and picnickers simply out to enjoy a great day of racing.The atmosphere was pleasant, enjoyable and uncrowded. Paid attendance for Belmont Stakes Day was 57,720. The Belmont Stakes record attendance of 120,139 was in 2004 when Smarty Jones finished second to Birdstone in his Triple Crown bid.

2017 Belmont Horses For Sale

Saturday’s on-track handle was $11,594,599, virtually unchanged from 2016’s on-track handle of $11,694,897. The all-source handle for the three-day 2017 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival was $124,740,193, eclipsing 2016’s all-source handle of $122,816,359. The total Belmont Stakes handle from Japan, which is not included in the all-source handle figure, was $4,698,525. The highest betting record for any Belmont Stakes was $150,249,399 in 2014.

2017 Belmont Horses For Sale

Dr. Gregory A. Beroza, DVM, DACVS, DABVP has been a practicing veterinarian for 36 years and HorseDoc® ‘Talking Horses’® media host, author and consultant since 2007. He is the Founder and Chief of Staff at Long Island Equine Medical Center, President of EQUISCAN — the first privately licensed equine nuclear diagnostic facility on East Coast — and Founder and President of LONG ISLAND EQUINE MEDICAL FOUNDATION INC. Contacts: www.HorseDoc.com, [email protected] or Twitter @DrGregoryBeroza

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