Trainers Pletcher, Motion put Belmont in perspective

ELMONT, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher got his third Belmont Stakes win Saturday with Tapwrit, while Graham Motion was denied his first with Irish War Cry, who was overhauled in deep stretch by Tapwrit and had to settle for second. Both trainers, among the more thoughtful in the sport, tried on Sunday morning to put the emotions of the day, and the past five weeks, into perspective, because for both, there were moments of satisfaction, and of disappointment.

Pletcher’s Triple Crown was more definitive. He won the Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming, suffered a humbling defeat in the Preakness with the Derby winner, then won the Belmont with Tapwrit, becoming the first trainer in 21 years to win those races with different horses in the same Triple Crown season.

“Any time you get any of them you have to be grateful,” Pletcher said Sunday morning at Belmont Park as he watched Always Dreaming go through a routine gallop on the training track. “We’d have loved to have come into the Belmont with the Derby and Preakness winner, but this is the next best thing.”

Motion’s Triple Crown experience with Irish War Cry was more nuanced, because he did not win either the Derby or the Belmont. But after a disappointing, 10th-place finish in the Derby, Irish War Cry rebounded in the Belmont to lead for 11 of the race’s 12 furlongs before being overtaken in deep stretch.

“It was tremendously rewarding to see him get some credit,” Motion said. “The Derby was extremely disappointing, so it was nice to see him have some redemption and shows he’s a legitimate colt. The flip side is that it’s disappointing because you only get one shot with these 3-year-olds in a classic. They’re not going to get any other chances at a classic, so that particularly stings, because it’s a one-off.”

Tapwrit and Irish War Cry, plus Pletcher-trained Patch, who finished third in the Belmont, all came out of the race well, their trainers said. Tapwrit received a Beyer Speed Figure of 103 for the Belmont.

Both Tapwrit and Patch came into the Belmont after running in the Derby and then bypassing the Preakness, a schedule that has accounted for nine of the last 18 Belmont winners. Prior to finishing sixth in the Derby after getting roughed-up at the start, Tapwrit this year was second in the Sam Davis Stakes, won the Tampa Bay Derby, and was fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes.

“He made decent progression all winter – the Sam Davis, the Tampa Bay Derby – and his only off race was the Blue Grass,” Pletcher said. “The only logical explanation was he broke poorly and was wide in a paceless race. You draw a line through that - and the start of the Derby was a legit excuse - and it’s not shocking he was able to do what he did yesterday. He has good tactical speed, so he was able to get a good spot, and that was a key to success yesterday.”