Belmont Stakes alumni since 2016 - Who is still racing?
As Belmont week is upon us, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the last five runnings of the Belmont Stakes to see which former Belmont contenders are still racing.
While 2020 Belmont winner Tiz the Law was retired, most of last year's Belmont starters are still running. Only Pneumatic (4th) and Farmington Road (8th) have no activity in 2021.
At the Belmont Stakes post-draw, trainer Todd Pletcher updated HRN that Farmington Road is "still on a vacation."
2020 Belmont Stakes
| Finish | Horse | Last Race Day | Last Race | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiz the Law | Nov 7, 2020 | 6th, Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) | Retired |
| 2 | Dr Post | May 1, 2021 | 1st, Westchester (G3) | Ran May 1 at BEL |
| 3 | Max Player | May 14, 2021 | 6th, Pimlico Special (G3) | Ran May 14 at PIM |
| 4 | Pneumatic | Oct 3, 2020 | 10th, Preakness S. (G1) | No races since Oct. |
| 5 | Tap It to Win | May 29, 2021 | 9th, Aristides S. | Ran May 29 at CD |
| 6 | Sole Volante | Feb 6, 2021 | 9th, Tampa Bay (G3) | Ran in February |
| 7 | Modernist | May 14, 2021 | 2nd, Pimlico Special (G3) | Ran May 14 at PIM |
| 8 | Farmington Road | Nov 6, 2020 | 11th, TAA S. (G2) | No races since Nov. |
| 9 | Fore Left | Nov 23, 2020 | 12th, Steel Valley Sprint S. | Last worked in Jan. |
| 10 | Jungle Runner | May 9, 2021 | 3rd, LS allowance race | Ran May 9 at LS |
The 2019 Belmont class is also mostly running, with the exception of Joevia and War of Will. Sir Winston, the upset Belmont winner, went on a break in September of last year but hasn't hit the track since.
In early March, Casse told HRN the 2019 Belmont Stakes winner was likely to return this summer during the Woodbine meet. But as reported in last week's Casse barn tour, the trainer has had little communication with owner Tracy Farmer on the matter and Sir Winston’s status is unclear.
Sir Winston was winless in four starts last year, concluding with a fourth-place finish in the Champions Day Marathon at Churchill Downs on Sept. 1.
Trainer Todd Pletcher told HRN that "Spinoff is close to being ready to run with a couple of works" and indicated that he would probably run at Belmont before the end of the meet.
2019 Belmont Stakes
| Finish | Horse | Last Race Day | Last Race | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Winston | Sep 1, 2020 | 4th, Marathon, CD | Last ran in Sept. |
| 2 | Tacitus | Feb 20, 2021 | 7th, Saudi Cup (G1) | Ran 7th in Saudi Cup |
| 3 | Joevia | Jul 18, 2020 | 6th, Monmouth Cup S. (G3) | Retired |
| 4 | Tax | Jan 23, 2021 | 10th, Pegasus World Cup (G1) | Worked May 1 at KEE |
| 5 | Master Fencer (JPN) | Mar 17, 2021 | 4th, Diolite Kinen, Japan | Last ran in March |
| 6 | Spinoff | Sep 5, 2020 | 4th, Woodward H. (G1) | Worked May 28 at SAR |
| 7 | Everfast | Dec 31, 2020 | 3rd, GP allowance race | Last ran in Dec. |
| 8 | Intrepid Heart | May 23, 2021 | 4th, a starter allowance race | Ran May 23 at CD |
| 9 | War of Will | Nov 7, 2020 | 9th, BC Dirt Mile (G1) | Retired |
| 10 | Bourbon War | May 27, 2021 | 2nd, CD allowance race | Ran May 27 at CD |
In contrast to 2019, the 2018 Belmont class is mostly retired. Gronkowski is running overseas, while Tenfold, Restoring Hope and Noble Indy are still chugging along here.
2018 Belmont Stakes
| Finish | Horse | Last Race Day | Last Race | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justify | Jun 9, 2018 | 1st, Belmont S. (G1) | Retired |
| 2 | Gronkowski | Feb 20, 2021 | 6th, Turf Stk, Saudi Cup day | Ran in February |
| 3 | Hofburg | Mar 7, 2020 | 6th, Santa Anita Hcp (G1) | Retired |
| 4 | Vino Rosso | Nov 2, 2019 | 1st, Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) | Retired |
| 5 | Tenfold | Mar 13, 2021 | 3rd, Temperence Hill S. | Worked May 25 at CD |
| 6 | Bravazo | May 2, 2020 | 11th, Oaklawn Handicap (G2) | Retired |
| 7 | Free Drop Billy | Sep 1, 2018 | 8th, Saranac (G3) | Retired |
| 8 | Restoring Hope | Aug 25, 2020 | 4th, IND allowance race | Worked May 30 at Kee |
| 9 | Blended Citizen | Mar 14, 2020 | 4th, Ky Cup Classic | Retired |
| 10 | Noble Indy | May 31, 2021 | 6th, GP handicap | Worked May 22 at PMM |
Looking back four years, only three horses from the 2017 Belmont class have raced this year: Senior Investment, Twisted Tom and Multiplier.
2017 Belmont Stakes
| Finish | Horse | Last Race Day | Last Race | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tapwrit | Sep 1, 2018 | 8th, Woodward S. (G1) | Retired |
| 2 | Irish War Cry | Jun 16, 2018 | 9th, Stephen Foster (G1) | Retired |
| 3 | Patch | Aug 1, 2019 | 4th, Birdstone S. | Retired |
| 4 | Gormley | Aug 26, 2017 | 4th, Shared Belief | Retired |
| 5 | Senior Investment | May 18, 2021 | 2nd, PRX allowance race | Ran May 18 at PRX |
| 6 | Twisted Tom | Feb 26, 2021 | 2nd, AQU claiming race | Raced in February |
| 7 | Lookin At Lee | Oct 17, 2020 | 9th, RP allowance race | Retired |
| 8 | Meantime | Jun 20, 2019 | 3rd, CD claiming race | Retired |
| 9 | J Boys Echo | May 18, 2019 | 4th, CD claiming race | Retired |
| 10 | Multiplier | Apr 18, 2021 | 5th, Tokyo City Cup (G3) | Ran Apr. 18 at SA |
| 11 | Hollywood Handsome | Oct 14, 2020 | 6th, PEN claiming race | Last raced in Oct. |
Going back to the 2016 Belmont class of 13 runners, all of them are retired at this point. Seeking the Soul and Gettysburg were the last ones to race, back in January 2020.
2016 Belmont Stakes
| Finish | Horse | Last Race Day | Last Race | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creator | Aug 27, 2016 | 7th, Travers (G1) | Retired |
| 2 | Destin | Dec 16, 2017 | 4th, Harlan's Holiday (G3) | Retired |
| 3 | Lani | Oct 22, 2017 | 5th, Brazil Cup, Japan | Retired |
| 4 | Governor Malibu | Jun 28, 2018 | 2nd, an allowance race | Retired |
| 5 | Stradivari | Jun 11, 2016 | 5th, Belmont Stks (G1) | Retired |
| 6 | Brody's Cause | Jun 11, 2016 | 6th, Belmont Stks (G1) | Retired |
| 7 | Cherry Wine | Jul 23, 2018 | 5th, SAR claiming race | Retired |
| 8 | Gettysburg | Jan 17, 2020 | 12th, Forego Stks (TP) | Retired |
| 9 | Suddenbreakingnews | Dec 19, 2018 | 7th, Zia allowance race | Retired |
| 10 | Trojan Nation | Dec 30, 2016 | 8th, SA allowance race | Retired |
| 11 | Exaggerator | Sep 24, 2016 | 7th, Pennsylvania Derby (G2) | Retired |
| 12 | Seeking the Soul | Jan 25, 2020 | 7th, Pegasus World Cup (G1) | Retired |
| 13 | Forever d'Oro | Nov 1, 2017 | 4th, CD allowance race | Retired |