Tapwrit Wins 149th Belmont Stakes

Three-year-old Thoroughbred Tapwrit won the 149th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, finishing ahead of Irish War Cry, Patch, and Gormley. “The distance, I was sure he could handle it,” jockey Jose Ortiz said. Tapwrit finished the race in 2:30.02. The horse finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness. “We felt like with the five weeks in between, and with the way this horse had trained, that he had a legitimate chance,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who along with Ortiz and the horse’s owner will share the $800,000 purse. “I think that’s always an advantage.”