Stimulate Wins Dwyer Stakes at Belmont

Stimulate rallied from fourth to win the $200,000 Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park, while Ted Noffey finished fifth.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Equestrian

Expressive editorial sports illustration of three racehorses surging down a dirt track in crimson and gold, a soft grandstand behind them under warm autumn light. — Stimulate rallied from fourth to win the $200,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on Nov. 7, finishing 7 1/2 lengths ahead of the field. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Stimulate rallied from fourth and took charge in the stretch to win the $200,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on Nov. 7, finishing 7 1/2 lengths ahead in 1:33.64. Ted Noffey, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, finished fifth, beaten 12 1/2 lengths, in what was his first loss in five career starts.

Why it matters

Ted Noffey's defeat came after a layoff caused by bone bruising in late January, and trainer Todd Pletcher said the colt was probably a little rusty. The result leaves open how the Spendthrift Team will steer the colt's next start.

Stimulate posted a third win in five starts, while Ted Noffey's 12 1/2-length margin marked his first loss in five career starts. Sea Strike finished second as the 6-5 favorite, and the stub does not report Ted Noffey's speed figures or sectional times.

The players

Todd Pletcher

Todd Pletcher is a prominent Thoroughbred trainer known for developing top-level racehorses in the United States.

Spendthrift Team

The Spendthrift Team is the ownership group connected to Ted Noffey, which will weigh the colt's next start with trainer Todd Pletcher.

The details

Stimulate rallied from fourth in the field of eight to take charge in the stretch of the mile stakes at Belmont Park. Ted Noffey was fifth for much of the way and could not keep pace, with Sea Strike second and Igniter third.

Oct. 31, 2025: Ted Noffey won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Late January 2026: Ted Noffey was sidelined due to bone bruising.
Nov. 7, 2026: Stimulate won the Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park.

Season Trajectory

Ted Noffey entered the Dwyer as the reigning Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and ends a stretch of five unbeaten-to-this-point starts with a fifth-place finish. Stimulate's third win in five starts strengthens its position among this year's 3-year-old stakes contenders.

Ted Noffey's first loss in five career starts and the layoff before the race leave his next start undetermined, and Pletcher will talk with the Spendthrift Team before deciding. Racing fans tracking the 3-year-old division will need to watch for that announcement.

The takeaway

Ted Noffey's loss illustrates how a long layoff can leave even a champion rusty, a reminder that a single race result rarely settles a young horse's standing.