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• .2017 Belmont Stakes - Updated Wednesday, June 5 after Post Position Draw. RSS. TWISTED TOM (Odds 20/1) - PP1. The Belmont is a huge class test for this horse, but I love the way he's developed. I do think he can stay a mile and a half, I think the longer the better for him, so I'm anxious to get him out to that distance, but it'll be a.

New York-bred Tiz the Law victorious in Belmont Stakes (G1) Hard-knocking mare Oleksandra rallies to victory in Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing (G1) Gamine records fastest-ever Longines Acorn (G1) time in 18 3/4-length romp.

The field for the running of the 2017 Belmont Stakes(G1) is nearing completion and with that in mind a field of thirteen is expected to be drawn at 11:00 am on Wednesday at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Here is my detailed analysis of the field along with Brian Zipse’s morning line. Also remember to watch this week’s edition of HorseCenter where Brian and I will give wagering suggestions for the Belmont and talk about the spectacular undercard.

SCR Classic Empire [8-5] - Pioneerof the Nile – Casse - 9: 5-1-1 - $2,520,220] Classic Empire gets a checkmark in many important boxes – leading money winner, top speed figures, ideal running style, best overall Triple Crown performances, and this absolutely makes him the horse to beat. However, history is not on his side. When you look beyond American Pharoah, the recent history of losing favorites and the inability of horses to win the Belmont after they have run in the Derby and Preakness are major negative factors. The one to beat, but this is a big challenge. SCRATCHED due to hoof abscess.

Epicharis (JPN) [8-1] - Gold Allure - Hagiwara – 5: 4-1-0 - $920,285] Epicharis, who was the leader of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and who opted not to run at Churchill Downs on the First Saturday in May, now comes to the Belmont Stakes chasing a $1,000,000 bonus should he win the Test of the Champion. This year’s race will mark the very first time that a Triple Crown race will be simulcast to Japan. What could be a very large amount of money will be wagered into a separate pool from our North American betting. Last year, the Japanese bet more than $40 million on the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.

In 2016 there were only 15 graded stakes races on the dirt at all of the tracks in Japan. At Tokyo Racecourse, where Epicharis won two of his races, there is just one grade one stake and three grade threes on the dirt. The track record for one mile at Tokyo is 1:34. In comparison, Epicharis’ most recent victory came at Tokyo in the ungraded Hyacinth Stakes in a time of 1:37-4 for the mile distance. All of the winning times in his races have been far slower than what is expected from dirt horses in America and this is where my concern about Epicharis begins. I believe that he is facing a significant step up in class in the Belmont Stakes. In addition, Epicharis will be the first American starter for Hagiwara, who trains 55 horses in Japan.

Make no mistake about it, the presence of Epicharis gives the race a lot of interesting angles and enlarges the Triple Crown audience significantly and I am in favor of that. Making a significant step up in class.

Gormley[15-1] - Malibu Moon – Shirreffs – 7: 4-0-0 - $920,000] Still listed in the possible category for the race, trainer John Shirreffs will wait until the last minute to decide if he is coming east. Since his victory in the Sham in January, his speed figures have declined every race and that certainly is not the sign of a horse that is ready to go a mile and a half. His last two figures, including his win in the Santa Anita Derby do not make him competitive in this race. At best, Gormley is a hit or miss horse and it would be tough to expect the Belmont Stakes to be a race in which he returns to top form. [NOTE: Gormley is now committed to run in the Belmont.] Inconsistent at best.

Hollywood Handsome[40-1] - Tapizar – Stewart – 9: 2-0-3 - $123,430] Initially Hollywood Handsome was on the list of Belmont runners, but trainer Dallas Stewart pulled him to wait for the Ohio Derby. It seems that the connections have had a change of heart in the past few days.

“I think a lot of the colt, and I think he's going to like the distance. I think the mile and a half will be no problem,” said Stewart. I think we've got a good shot. Just the distance, I think, is going to be right up our alley.'

Stewart has a history of bringing longshots to Triple Crown races and then hitting the board, that alone means that this son of Tapizar deserves a second look. He has only two wins to his credit both of them came this year with an allowance at Churchill Downs in his most recent race. Two stakes tries on the Derby Trail yielded a fifth and fourth place finish. Needs the Dallas Stewart magic.

Irish War Cry[5-1] - Curlin – Motion – 6: 4-0-0 - $699,460] This son of Curlin has the resume to win the Belmont Stakes. His best races have been high quality performances and he has the potential to get out with the pace setters and be right there from start to finish.

'I think sometimes we overthink these things a little bit. Right after the Derby, I was just so discouraged that I didn't even want to think about another Triple Crown race,' Motion said. 'Watching him train and seeing how well he's doing being back at Fair Hill and then seeing the result of the Preakness, obviously he's run well with those horses before. It made me think more about it. It's a Classic, it only comes around once in a horse's lifetime and I think he deserves another chance.'

Draw a line through the Derby, look at his best speed figures, and he is a dangerous horse. A threat to win.

J Boys Echo[30-1] - Mineshaft – Romans – 7: 2-1-1 - $349,600] The same thing can be said about J Boys Echo that was said about others in the Belmont, that on his best day he is good enough to win the race. This Dale Romans colt did no running in the Derby and very little in the Blue Grass after bad starts in each. However, a repeat of his performance in the Gotham over the Preakness winner, Cloud Computing, makes him a threat in the Belmont. He will need to stay nearer to the early pace and not become a deep closer. Can he find his Gotham performance again?

Lookin At Lee[8-1] - Lookin At Lucky – Asmussen – 11: 2-3-2 - $942,795] I have nothing but respect for Lookin At Lee. He never runs a bad race and always comes running at the end. Steve Asmussen is making a rider change to try and stay closer to the early pace, otherwise he could get hopelessly far behind in the Belmont. It has been a long campaign with three races on the Derby trail and the first two stops in Triple Crown. Not this time.

Meantime[30-1] - Shackleford – Lynch – 4: 1-2-1 - $83,740] This lightly raced son of Shackleford has hit the board in all four of his starts with the last two coming on wet tracks. His races are improving and his recent second in the Peter Pan behind the talented, Timeline, was his best yet. The big Belmont field is going to be a very tough challenge for him. Expect him to have an impact on the early pace of the race. Too much distance and too many good horses.

Multiplier[30-1] - The Factor – Walsh – 5: 2-1-1 - $187,310] Multiplier is a horse who has improved throughout his career and really has never run a bad race. Math fans, like myself, certainly appreciate his name. His last two speed figures have been as good as many of the second-tier horses in this race. Is it possible that Multiplier could improve off of his less than optimal trip in the Preakness? He will need to stay closer rather than farther behind going the twelve furlongs because there are probably better deep closers than him. Chance for continued improvement.

Patch[20-1] - Union Rags – Pletcher – 4: 1-2-0 - $230,020] The smaller field and a better post-position draw will improve the chances of the one-eyed horse that captivated the Kentucky Derby Crowd. Patch is by Union Rags, who won the 2012 Belmont after running in the Derby and skipping the Preakness. Can Union Rags join the other 14 Belmont winners who went on to sire a Belmont Winner?

Patch had very little chance in the Derby after breaking from the far outside and getting jostled around early. His second place in the Louisiana Derby was promising, but he will have to improve on that even if the performance at Churchill Downs is dismissed. Trainer Todd Pletcher does well when his runners skip the Preakness while aiming for the Belmont. Improvement expected.

Senior Investment[15-1] - Discreetly Mine – McPeek - 9: 3-0-2 - $372,080] Senior Investment is one of the most interesting horses in the field. The Kenny McPeek runner has shown improvement in every one of his 2017 races. He made a big closing run to win the Lexington, late on the Derby Trail, but that performance was pretty much dismissed because of the weak field. He backed that win up with his third-place finish in the Preakness at 31-1 that earned a speed figure on par with many of the Belmont contenders. Can this Kenny McPeek runner make another step-up to be a threat to win the race? He is another horse that needs to be closer to the early pace than in the Preakness. Trifecta contender, for sure.

Tapwrit[6-1] - Tapit – Pletcher – 7: 3-1-0 - $343,902] Tapwrit is another horse that can contend for the Belmont win if he can run his best race. His last two starts were filled with trouble. A rough trip from the 16 hole in the Derby ended with a respectable sixth place finish. In the Blue Grass he broke very badly and lost all chance. His two Derby preps in Tampa flashed his talent. The Pletcher Derby to Belmont angle is in full force with this son of Tapit. The 27-1 odds from the Derby will be long gone on his home track in New York and he is likely to offer very little value to win bettors. A major contender for the win.

Belmont 2017 Horses Racing

Twisted Tom[20-1] - Creative Cause – Chad Brown – 6: 4-0-0 - $209,040] New York-bred Twisted Tom has won three races in a row and has shown improvement in all of them, but has not posted a speed figure that fits with most of this field. He will need some of the Chad Brown magic that has been filling winning circles around the country in 2017. Brown is winning at this Belmont meeting at a 33% clip while finishing in the money at 62%. Another improvement will be needed.

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Belmont 2017 Horses List

Note: One of a series of profiles on contenders for the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes on June 20. Updates will be provided after morning-line odds and post positions are set early next week.

By Lynne Snierson

Dr Post, along with fellow Belmont Stakes probable Farmington Road, gives trainer Todd Pletcher a pair of hopefuls in what has become an unorthodox Triple Crown campaign. The revised schedule of races may work to the benefit of this sleeper, who is steadily improving over time.

After stumbling his first time out of the gate on July 4 at Belmont and winding up fourth, Pletcher wisely gave him the rest of the year off and time to grow up and physically mature.

Dr Post didn’t appear on the work tab until late December at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and then the dark bay colt joined the rest of the stable consolidated at Palm Beach Downs after the first of the year.

After a nine-month hiatus, he made a successful start to his sophomore season in a Gulfstream Park maiden special weight at 7 furlongs on March 29. His connections then jumped him right up into stakes company in the Unbridled Stakes, another sprint. The Unbridled was a race created by Gulfstream officials to fill so many empty spaces for sophomores on the calendar while so many tracks were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Post took full advantage of the opportunity while overcoming a horrendous, traffic-filled trip to win by 1 ½ lengths and earn a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. The effort was impressive enough to catapult him into the Grade 1 Belmont at 1 1/8 miles.

“He’s versatile enough that he can run multiple distances, but we’ve always felt like he was looking for more ground,” said Pletcher, who has three Belmont wins (Rags to Riches, 2007; Palace Malice, 2013; Tapwrit, 2017) “Certainly, to go from a maiden win to a stakes race like he did against seasoned horses, we felt he handled that step up in class pretty well. We like the way he’s been training and if he continues to train like he is, we’ll focus on the Belmont.”

Belmont Stakes Probable: Dr Post

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: St. Elias Stable

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Career record: 3 2-0-0

Career earnings: $76,635

Belmont 2017 Horses Race

Pedigree: Quality Road–Mary Delaney, by Hennessy

Running style: From off the pace.

Handicapping insights:

Belmont 2017 Horses For Sale

“Won stakes debut easily despite brutal trip; live long shot; the best of Pletcher’s duo.’’ Ed McNamara

“Late to the dance but getting good at the right time with two wins in a row at Gulfstream Park … The maiden win came at 7 furlongs; the allowance win that followed at 1 1/16 miles was not as impressive, leading me to believe this horse might turn out to be better as a miler type. Gets Irad Ortiz and is definitely talented, but looks ambitiously-spotted here.” – Noel Michaels.

Notes: Dr Post is a son of Quality Road, who already has two champions (Abel Tasman and Caledonia Road) and 21 graded stakes winners to his credit, and was a multiple Grade 1 winner for Pletcher…The dam, Mary Delaney, was a Grade 2 winning sprinter and won the Vinery Madison … Dr Post was bought for $200,000 as a weanling at the 2017 November Breeding Stock sale and sold the next year for $400,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale … St. Elias Stable is the nom de course for Teresa and Vinnie Viola, who own the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Vinnie and Teresa, who also has horses solely in her name, were co-owners of 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming. Dr Post will be their first Belmont starter … Pletcher has two Kentucky Derby victories (Always Dreaming, 2017; Super Saver 2010) in addition to 11 Breeders’ Cup scores, including the 2019 Classic with Vino Rosso.

Belmont Stakes Odds