Jay Privman, national correspondent for Daily Racing Form, and Ed McNamara of Newsday were named the winners of the Joe Hirsch Memorial Writing Award, recognizing the best in print and Internet coverage of the 2016 Belmont Stakes, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Epicharis, the Japanese-based runner who will contest the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10, entered quarantine in Japan on Thursday at the Miho Training Center. He must be isolated for one week before shipping to New York on June 1.

Prior to entering quarantine, Epicharis breezed five furlongs in 1:05.20 over an uphill wood-chip course on Wednesday, according to trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara. He was timed in fractions of 12.60 seconds for an eighth, 36.80 for three furlongs, and 50.70 for a half-mile.

ELMONT, N.Y. – While Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing are expected to bypass the Belmont Stakes, a familiar face from the Triple Crown trail may be re-entering the picture for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.

There will be no Triple Crown bid in the Belmont Stakes, and it’s likely that the race won’t have the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner. But what it will have is the unluckiest horse in this year’s Triple Crown, Classic Empire, as well as international intrigue with the Japanese invader Epicharis, as part of a card whose Breeders’ Cup-style quality will serve Belmont Park well this year without the marquee attraction of having a Triple Crown on the line.

Timeline, who remained undefeated from three starts with a 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, has the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 30 as his main summer target, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday morning.

Brown reiterated Sunday what he said right after the race Saturday: that Timeline does not strike him as a horse who wants to run 1 1/2 miles, the distance of the Belmont Stakes. Brown said he would likely use the Grade 3, $100,000 Pegasus on June 18 at Monmouth as a prep for the Haskell.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Timeline gave his connections a reason to be excited about the future with a solid 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at sloppy Belmont Park. That future, however, is not likely to include the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Timeline improved his record to 3 for 3 with his victory in the Peter Pan. But rather than stretching him out to 1 1/2 miles in the Belmont Stakes, trainer Chad Brown indicated that a race like the Grade 1 Haskell on July 30 at Monmouth Park is a better target. The Haskell is run at 1 1/8 miles.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Gormley and Irap, graded stakes winners in April but unplaced in the Kentucky Derby, are candidates for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 10, their trainers said Friday.

Gormley, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby, while Irap, the winner of the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 15, finished 18th of the 19 finishers.

John Shirreffs, who trains Gormley, and Doug O’Neill, who trains Irap, said the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles is foremost on their minds.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Chad Brown ran Practical Joke in the Kentucky Derby. He is preparing Cloud Computing to run in the Preakness. On Saturday at Belmont Park, the Brown-trained Timeline and Take Your Guns could be auditioning for spots in the Belmont Stakes in four weeks.

Epicharis, the Japanese-bred 3-year-old who was eligible to run in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, was confirmed as a starter for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10, it was announced late Tuesday night.

Should he win the Belmont, Epicharis would earn his connections a $1 million bonus that the New York Racing Association announced earlier this year for any Japanese-based horse who wins the race. That is on top of the $800,000 first-place purse.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The 2016 Belmont Park meet has belonged to Jose Ortiz. Belmont Stakes Day belonged to his brother Irad.

Irad Ortiz Jr., 23, won his first American classic on Saturday, giving Creator a flawless ride to win the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes. Ortiz rallied Creator from 10th position to nip Destin by a nose in the final stride. A day later, Ortiz was still living in the moment.

“Great feeling, great race,” Ortiz said Sunday morning after working a horse on turf for his main client, Chad Brown. “I’m feeling so blessed right now, it’s amazing.”