Belmont Stakes: Tap can turn on the style for Pletcher

Saturday’s Belmont Stakes - the third leg of the US Triple Crown - has a somewhat unusual feel to it with no Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner in the field. Classic Empire - who ran with credit in the first two legs of the series - was due to line up, but was forced out on Wednesday following the discovery of a foot abscess. Likely to have gone off a warm favourite, the defection of Classic Empire has left us with a wide-open contest over a distance that is unfamiliar to every horse in the race.

Irish War Cry was prominent in the Kentucky Derby betting but flattened out in the home straight and finished tenth. After the race, his trainer Graham Motion said Irish War Cry was expected to miss the remaining Triple Crown races before embarking on a mid-summer campaign. That plan changed following several good workouts and Irish War Cry now takes his chance. A son of stamina-influence Curlin, Motion’s colt beat eventual Preakness winner Cloud Computing in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct prior to his Kentucky Derby disappointment. However, that came on the back of another disappointing run, and his profile is starting to look a bit patchy.

Ahead of Irish War Cry in the Kentucky Derby, Lookin At Lee ran the race of his life to finish second at Churchill Downs. A little below that form when only fourth in the Preakness, this deep-closing type will need a good pace to run at, but should be staying on when others have cried enough. With a record that now reads two wins from eleven starts, Looking At Lee is probably more of a place fancy than a win candidate.

The most fascinating contender in the race looks to be Japanese raider Epicharis. With a pedigree that suggests twelve furlongs should be within his compass, and form that ranks up with the best of these, he would be a strong fancy in normal circumstances. However, it was announced on Thursday that Epicharis was being treated with an anti-inflammatory for lameness, which casts a fair bit of doubt over both his participation and his chances should he get the go ahead to run. With that in mind, it may be safer to look elsewhere.

Gormley and Senior Investment both have plenty to recommend them, but the one to focus on could well be Todd Pletcher’s Tapwrit. With a pedigree that strongly suggests he can get the added distance of the Belmont Stakes - his sire Tapit has already been responsible for two Belmont winners, as well as several who have run well in defeat in the race - Tapwrit could well be the value at a price of around 8/1. An impressive winner of the Tampa Bay Derby in March, his subsequent defeats in both the Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Kentucky Derby itself can be forgiven as things just didn’t pan out well for him in either race. It may well pay to concentrate on Tapwrit’s good form prior to both those efforts and he looks great value at the current odds with less of a stamina doubt around him than many of his rivals.

There is plenty of interest on a Belmont undercard that features five Grade 1 races, and a horse that will be familiar to many UK punters in the shape of Time Test. Set to line up in the mile-and-a-quarter Manhattan Stakes, Time Test - now in the care of arguably America’s best trainer Chad Brown - can easily be forgiven his US debut last month, which came on an unsuitably easy surface. He still ran well, however, and was beaten just a nose in a race that should put him spot-on for this challenge. On his best European form, Time Test has plenty in hand of this field at the weights, and represents a confident selection.

Sharp Azteca, last seen when running a screamer in defeat in the Godolphin Mile at Meydan on Dubai World Cup Night, looks to have a strong chance in the Metropolitan Handicap. Collared deep inside the final furlong having raced up with the overly-strong pace at Meydan, his jockey Edgard Zayas was openly criticised by Sharp Azteca’s trainer Jorge Navarro in the wake of that reversal. Paco Lopez, a very experienced front-running jockey, takes over from Zayas for this assignment, which is a major plus for Sharp Azteca’s chances. He is taken to get the better of Mor Spirit and Awesome Slew.

Recommendations:

Back Sharp Azteca in the Metropolitan Handicap (21:41 BST)

Back Time Test in the Manhattan Stakes (22:37 BST)

Back Tapwrit in the Belmont Stakes (23:37 BST)