Irish War Cry can make good on positive hopes earlier in the season when he takes to the track Saturday afternoon in New York to run in the 2017 Belmont Stakes. While not at the front of the betting pack at the Kentucky Derby a little more than a month ago, Irish War Cry bubbled just under the top as a quality contender. However, a disappointing 10th-place finish took the zeal out of his connections, who’d planned to skip the rest of the Triple Crown races.
Belmont Stakes 2017: Post time, TV schedule, contenders, and more
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But here we are with the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes set to go to post at approximately 6:37 p.m. ET, and Irish War Cry enters the day as a 7/2 morning line favorite. It would not be a surprise to see that line move to make him an even bigger favorite as Epicharis, the Japanese colt with the next best odds, 4/1, has battled lameness in the days leading up to the Belmont. (Update: Epicharis was scratched from the race Saturday morning.) You can watch the $1.5 million, 1-1/2-mile race on NBC beginning at 5 p.m. or stream it live online from NBCSports.com.
The Belmont is also notable for who isn’t there as much as who is. Always Dreaming, who won the Kentucky Derby, as well as Cloud Computing, who won the Preakness, did not make the trip. Classic Empire, who was the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, had to be pulled out of Belmont contention earlier in the week due to an abscess on his hoof.
Here’s a quick guide to what you need to know about the Belmont.
When is the Belmont Stakes?
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival continues on Saturday with races all day, including several graded stakes races. But the third jewel of the Triple Crown will go to post at 6:37 p.m. ET.
How can I watch the Belmont Stakes?
NBCSN will air undercard races from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. TV coverage shifts to NBC proper at 5 p.m. and runs through postrace interviews.
You can stream it online using NBCSports.com. Beginning at 5 p.m. you can also watch a four-camera mosaic at NBCSports.com.
Who are the Belmont Stakes favorites?
Irish War Cry opens the day at 7/2 as the Belmont morning line favorite, but the field is rather open with any number of horses expected to make good picks. That makes it a hard race to bet on but also a lot more interesting.
Lookin At Lee, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby, was given 4/1 odds. Tapwrit was placed at 6/1, and Gormley 8/1.
You can find a more in-depth look at a few favorites in our Belmont contenders preview.
Belmont Stakes 2017 post positions and morning line odds
Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning line odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twisted Tom | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown | 20/1 |
| 2 | Tapwrit | Jose Ortiz | Todd Pletcher | 6/1 |
| 3 | Gormley | Victor Espinoza | John Shirreffs | 8/1 |
| 4 | J Boys Echo | Robby Albarado | Dale Romans | 15/1 |
| 5 | Hollywood Handsome | Florent Geroux | Dallas Stewart | 30/1 |
| 6 | Lookin at Lee | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 5/1 |
| 7 | Irish War Cry | Rajiv Maragh | Graham Motion | 7/2 |
| 8 | Senior Investement | Channing Hill | Ken McPeek | 12/1 |
| 9 | Meantime | Mike Smith | Brian Lynch | 15/1 |
| 10 | Multiplier | Joel Rosario | Brendan Walsh | 15/1 |
| 12 | Patch | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 12/1 |
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