Tapwrit wins 2017 Belmont Stakes

Tapwrit came out of the second spot, chased the leaders close, and ultimately passed Irish War Cry down the frontstretch to win the 2017 Belmont Stakes by two lengths. Tapwrit had 5/1 odds and paid $12.60 on a bet to win.

Irish War Cry got a good start and stayed at or near the lead for most of the race, with Meantime, Tapwrit, and Gormley chasing nearby. Irish War Cry took the final turn in front, but trainer Todd Pletcher’s Tapwrit ran by him to win the 1-1/2-mile race. Tapwrit was jockeyed by Jose Ortiz.

Patch, the one-eyed horse, finished in third, 7-3/4 lengths back. He entered the race at 12/1 odds. Irish War Cry entered as the 3/1 favorite for the Belmont.

Hollywood Handsome was taken off the track in an ambulance with a cut behind his knee that is not expected to be serious.

The Belmont was missing rather a fair amount of star power or narrative drive. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming skipped the race, as did Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing. Onetime favorite for the Kentucky Derby Classic Empire came down with a hoof abscess, as he suffered from one earlier in the year. Then Epicharis, the Japanese entrant, came up lame after making the trip to the United States. He was scratched Saturday morning.