Belmont Stakes 2017: Triple Crown Race Results, Standings, Payouts, Highlights

The long homestretch at Belmont Park is a truth detector in the sport of horse racing. It often gives horses who have the fastest finishing kick time to find their stride and roar down the stretch.

That was the case in the 2017 Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, as Tapwrit overcame a strong start by Irish War Cry and dominated in the homestretch to win the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

While Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness champion Cloud Computing had opted out of the Test of Champions, 11 horses went to the post Saturday afternoon, with Irish War Cry as the 5-2 favorite.

That horse got off to the solid start that he needed, and trainer Graham Motion liked his position. "Turning for home I thought we might have it, but it's a long way home," Motion said, per David Grening of the Daily Racing Form.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Irish War Cry was running well at the top of the stretch, but Tapwrit was running even better. By the time he got to the middle of the stretch, Tapwrit turned on his speed and went by Irish War Cry, cruising to the title in the 1 ½-mile Test of Champions.

Here's a look at the replay of the race, courtesy of NBCSports.com.

Tapwrit is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Jose Ortiz. The victory is Pletcher's third career Belmont Stakes victory, while the trip to the winner's circle is Ortiz's first in the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

Irish War Cry finished second, while Tapwrit's stablemate, Patch, got a piece of the action and finished third.

Tapwrit paid $12.60, $6.50 and $5.00, while Irish War Cry paid $4.70 and $3.90. Patch paid his backers $6.50 for his third-place finish. (All prices per the New York Racing Authority.)

Tapwrit did not run in the Preakness, and he appeared quite fresh as he turned for home in the Belmont. The time off between the first Saturday in May and the second Saturday in June allowed Pletcher to saddle a rested and powerful horse, and Ortiz gave him the ride he needed to take the white carnations that go to the winner.

Complete Order of Finish

(Place, Horse, Odds)

1, Tapwrit, 5-1
2, Irish War Cry, 5-2
3, Patch, 12-1
4, Gormley, 8-1
5, Senior Investment, 8-1
6, Twisted Tom, 7-1
7, Lookin At Lee, 6-1
8, Meantime, 13-1
9, J Boys Echo, 10-1
10, Multiplier, 14-1
Hollywood Handsome, 20-1, (Did not finish)

(Odds courtesy of NBC broadcast.)

While the race did not have the luster that it does when it features a contender who is trying to win a Triple Crown, this year's Belmont Stakes was as wide open as any in recent memory.

It seemed that nearly all the horses in the field had a legitimate chance to win, but Hollywood Handsome saw his chances fall apart at the start when there was a problem with the irons used by jockey Florent Geroux, and that horse ran out of control in the early part of the race.

While it looked distracting from the stands and on television, Hollywood Handsome's mishap did not bother the other horses in the field, and he did not cause any issues.

Al Bello/Getty Images

This is a wide-open class of three-year-olds, and Tapwrit, Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing have served notice that each of them can contend for Horse of the Year.

However, there's quite a bit of racing left in the summer and fall, and it would not be a shock if a horse like Irish War Cry, Lookin At Lee or even Classic Empire—if he recovers from a hoof abscess—joins them.