Gainesway and Whisper Hill acquire interest in Tapwrit

Gainesway Farm and Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm have purchased racing and breeding interests in this year's Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit.

They join Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta in a partnership that will race the son of Tapit and remain involved when he takes up stallion duty.

The Todd Pletcher-trained three-year-old secured the biggest victory of his career in June when he beat Grade 2 winner Irish War Cry to land the Belmont Stakes by two lengths. That win followed up his success in the Grade 2 South Tampa Bay Derby in March.

A son of Gainesway Stud's leading sire Tapit, who stood the 2017 season at an unchanged fee of $300,000, he is out of the Grade 1-winning Successful Appeal mare Appealing Zophie and is a half-brother to the winners Daddy In The Dark and Toast Of Mayfair.

Offered by Denali Stud as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2015, Tapwrit was snapped up by Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $1,200,000.

Eclipse president Aron Wellman said: "Mr and Mrs Malone of Bridlewood Farm, Mr LaPenta and Eclipse are thrilled to welcome Gainesway and Whisper Hill into the Tapwrit partnership. It is wonderful for them to participate in Tapwrit's racing career, and we are honoured to know that Tapwrit will ultimately be standing alongside his legendary sire at Gainesway when the time comes for him to go to stud.

"Mr Beck and Ms Pope have expressed incredible faith in Tapwrit's further racing upside as well as his prospects as a stallion, making it clear that Tapwrit will be supported by both programs' elite broodmare bands.

"Combine that with Bridlewood making a commitment to retain a significant portion of its equity interest and we have the utmost confidence Tapwrit will be a star in the breeding shed, hopefully proving to be the heir apparent to Tapit. All partners' interests are aligned, and we are exceptionally excited about what the future holds for our classic winner, Tapwrit."

Antony Beck of Gainesway added: "Mandy and I are honoured to be joining the Tapwrit partnership. Not only was Tapwrit a beautiful yearling, a stakes winner at two, and a Classic winner at three, but he's also by Tapit out of a Grade 1-winning two-year-old.

"Those are tremendous credentials for a stallion prospect, but we are equally excited about his racing career and look forward to seeing him in the winner's circle."