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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 10 June 2017

Belmont Stakes up for grabs to end uneven Triple Crown

BETH HARRIS fourth in the Preakness.
AP Racing Writer He’s the early 5-1 third
NEW YORK (AP) — This choice on Saturday.
year’s topsy-turvy Triple Gormley, ninth in the Der-
Crown trail comes to an by, flew from his Southern
end in a Belmont Stakes California base to take a
without the Kentucky Der- shot after staying home
by and Preakness winners from the Preakness.
or the expected favorite Multiplier sat out the Derby
who dropped out. It does and was sixth in the Preak-
come with questions about ness.
a Japanese horse with a The longest shot in the field
sore foot. No horse has is 30-1 Hollywood Hand-
dominated the 3-year-old some, who along with 15-1
ranks so far, leaving the 1½- Meantime, didn’t run in ei-
mile Belmont up for grabs ther of the first two legs.
among 12 horses that on J Boys Echo is one of five
Saturday will run the lon- Belmont runners who
gest race of their lives. skipped the Preakness af-
The 7-2 early favorite Irish ter running in the Derby,
War Cry is only in the Bel- a route taken last year by
mont after trainer Graham Belmont winner Creator.
Motion licked his wounds Trainer Dale Romans is
from the colt’s 10th-place ready to get his hands on
finish in the Kentucky Derby Belmont Stakes hopeful Irish War Cry gallops around the track with assistant trainer Alice Chap- the trophy after finishing
five weeks ago. man up during a workout, Friday, June 9, 2017, in Elmont, N.Y. Irish War Cry is the favorite to win third four times.
“When you get beaten as the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race on Saturday. “The mile and a half should
one of the favorites in the Associated Press help him and hopefully
Derby, it’s pretty discour- we’re going to see the
aging and you just want to Wednesday for what was he was two days ago.” 6-1 fourth choice Tapwrit best of him,” Romans said.
put it behind you,” he said. described as lameness in Epicharis last trained on the and one-eyed Patch. “He’s got a good rhythm to
“My horse is doing well. As his right front leg. track Tuesday. He hasn’t Tapwrit was sixth in the Der- the way he runs and I think
long as he’s doing well, he The colt stood in ice to help raced since finishing sec- by and Patch was 14th. that’s important going that
deserved a chance.” his hoof and was fitted with ond in the UAE Derby on “I think he ran a sneaky far.”
Irish War Cry inherited the a glue-on shoe, an alterna- March 25. good race in the Derby,” Belmont Park’s deep, san-
role of favorite after Clas- tive for horses with a dam- “He’s a nice horse to ride Pletcher said of Tapwrit. dy track and sweeping
sic Empire was forced out aged hoof. Instead of be- because you can use any “I don’t think it would be turns can wipe out a tiring
earlier in the week with an ing nailed on, which could tactics,” said Christophe a surprise if either of them horse and benefit a closer
abscess in his hoof. cause more soreness, the Lemaire, his French jockey. ran well.” Cloud Comput- able to negotiate the long
Speculation on the status plastic-coated shoe is “If there’s no pace at all, ing skipped the Derby, won stretch. Senior Investment
of early 4-1 second choice wrapped around the hoof he can lead or he can sit the Preakness and is sitting surged late to take third in
Epicharis continued to swirl wall. in second position. A mile out the Belmont. His trainer the Preakness and his train-
Friday after the colt didn’t Martin Panza, vice presi- and a half is a long way to Chad Brown has 20-1 shot er, Ken McPeek, won the
train for a third straight day dent of racing for NYRA, go, but in his previous rac- Twisted Tom, who brings a 2002 Belmont with 70-1 shot
because of his sore right said Epicharis was walking es he has shown us some three-race winning streak Sarava. In 2012, he trained
front hoof. He was exam- soundly Friday. stamina.” A victory would into the race on his home 20-1 shot Atigun to a third-
ined by veterinarians from “They feel confident they earn Epicharis a $1 million track. place finish.
the New York Racing As- can make the race tomor- bonus from NYRA, which Lookin At Lee will be the “This thing is wide open,
sociation and the Japan row, but they’re still go- worked to lure a horse from only horse to run in all three completely wide open,”
Racing Association, but ing to monitor the horse,” Japan. Triple Crown races. He was McPeek said. “It will be in-
no details on his condi- he said of the Japanese Kentucky Derby winner Al- second in the Derby and teresting to see it unfold.”q
tion were given. His trainer, team. “Obviously the horse ways Dreaming finished
Kiyoshi Hagiwara, didn’t comes first, and if there eighth in the Preakness, so
speak to the media. are any problems, they’ll he is skipping the Belmont.
Epicharis received a re-evaluate. Right now His trainer Todd Pletcher
treatment of the legal they’re very comfortable has two shots at winning
anti-inflammatory Phen- that the horse is comfort- the $1.5 million race on his
ylbutazone, or bute, on able and much better than home track: He will saddle