Already the sire of a record four Belmont Stakes (G1) winners, TAPIT again takes charge of the race this year as the sire or broodmare sire of six of the nine runners.
TAPIT is the sire of two of those runners with that duo breaking right next to each other in the 1 and 2 holes.
Tapit Shoes shows his connections’ faith in him with a jump up to the Grade 1 level after finishing second in his stakes debut at Oaklawn Park in April. Trained by Brad Cox, Tapit Shoes was a $300,000 yearling purchase by the BSW/Crow Colts Group from the Gainesway consignment at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
Tapit Shoes is out of the multiple stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed Awesome Flower, who is also the dam of dual Grade 1 winner Cyberknife.
Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable’s Tapit Trice looks to add a second Grade 1 to his record in this race as well. The winner of four of his six starts, Tapit Trice won this year’s Blue Grass Stakes (G1) in addition to the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) with both of those coming during a four-race win streak. Just like Tapit Shoes, the Gainesway-bred was sold by Gainesway as a $1.3 million Keeneland September graduate.
TAPIT is also making a mark on the industry as broodmare sire, leading all North American broodmare sires by graded stakes winners (eight), Grade 1 horses (six), graded stakes performers (20), and stakes horses (39) in 2023 with his daughters also producing 16 stakes winners this year.
In the Belmont Stakes alone, TAPIT is the broodmare sire of four runners – proving runner Il Miracolo’s dam Tapit’s World is aptly named.
Three of the runners out of TAPIT mares are bred on the same cross with each of those runners by Candy Ride or his son Gun Runner. Wither Stakes (G3) winner Hit Show is the Candy Ride runner bred on the cross as one of five stakes winners and eight stakes performers from 25 runners by that stallion out of TAPIT mares, including a Grade 1 placed runner.
The Gun Runner x TAPIT cross has quickly risen to the gold standard with its two graded stakes winners, four stakes winners, and eight stakes performers from 23 runners led by Grade 1 winner Society. The Belmont provides a big chance for another Grade 1 winner to join that list with Il Miracolo and Red Route One both bred on the cross.
The stakes winning Red Route One has been a consistent runner in the 3-year-old division with three graded stakes placings and two other fourth place finishes at the level. One of two stakes winners for his dam, the colt is out of a full sister to TAPIT’s champion daughter Untapable and TAPIT’s graded stakes producing daughter Double Tapped. Il Miracolo is also out of a stakes producing TAPIT mare with his dam producing stakes placed Steinar.
The final TAPIT representative is Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Arcangelo. That colt is bred on the opposite cross of Tapit Trice as a grandson of Unbridled’s Song out of a Tapit mare. Tapit Trice is out of an Unbridled’s Song granddaughter through his son Dunkirk.
A son of Arrogate, Arcangelo is making his second stakes appearance in this race after his Peter Pan win the week after the Kentucky Derby. The colt comes from the family of two Belmont Stakes winners with his granddam a half-sister to both Jazil and Rags to Riches.
Belmont Stakes day is set to be a strong one for TAPIT with six runners by the stallion running in four Grade 1s and one Grade 2. The stallion’s daughters also have six runners lining up in Grade 1s and one In a Grade 2 on the card.