Tacitus will be among the betting favorites in the 151st Belmont Stakes, which is set for this Saturday in New York’s Belmont Park (6:30 p.m., NBC). In addition to an examination of his past performances, MetroBet will also dive into Tacitus’ pedigree and the track records of his human connections.
The Belmont will be the sixth career start for Tacitus and first since he ran fourth (placed third) in the Kentucky Derby. He encountered very minor trouble in the “Run for the Roses,” checking behind a rival inside the opening furlong of the race before taking the far turn four-wide. He did his best running as the wire approached that day, suggesting that he’ll appreciate an increase in distance from 1 1/4-miles to 1 1/2-miles. Tacitus’ sire, Tapit, has sired three Belmont Stakes winners since 2014 (Tonalist, Creator, and most recently, Tapwrit in 2017). His dam is the highly-talented Close Hatches, a fellow Mott trainee who won five Grade I routes in her time on the track.
Tacitus’ effort in the Kentucky Derby was no fluke. He took the Tampa Bay Derby off a four-month layoff three starts ago, gobbling up the competition late. He then proved best in Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial over fellow Belmont entrant Tax.
Jockey Jose Ortiz has one prior Triple Crown victory, which came aboard the aforementioned Tapwrit in the 2017 Belmont. He’s been in the top five in both wins and earnings for three straight years. Mott, a three-time Eclipse Award winner who trained the mighty Cigar in the 1990s, finally won his first Kentucky Derby when Country House was promoted from second by the Churchill Downs stewards this year. He already has a Belmont Stakes victory to his credit, coming in 2010 with Drosselmeyer.
