7/6: Belmont Park ($177k 3-day C/O)
 

Inaugural Stars & Strips Festival Day at Belmont an unequivocal smash hit as outstanding card draws an enthusiastic on-track crowd (11k) and a flood of wagering handle from all corners (nearly $19,000,000). The stars of the day included Jose Lezcano (Natural stakes hat track in Sprint-Derby-Suburban), Chad Brown (Zivo/Suburban; Minorette/Oaks), Clearly Now (New 7f track record) and Mr. Speaker (Derby win over excellent International cast). The mutuels were plenty inviting and lucrative as the big, competitive fields required deep penetration on tickets to score. The P6 carryover went "Darlington" (the track too tough to tame) courtesy of $49 Mr. Speaker and $29 Zivo and offers a big $177k invitation into today's mundane sequence.

In addition to the big pot at BEL, the United Nations at MTH (and on Fox Sports 1) and Queens Plate at WO add to the windup from a grand Holiday Weekend...


BELMONT PARK


POST-SCRATCHES


4th: NY-MCLM/$40k, 3+, 8.5f-IT (P6, P3, DD)

$177k C/O starts here..

Most Likely: #8 Wake Up and Go 3-1 2nd
Best Value: #7 Patrolikeachampion 12-1 7th
Next Best: #6 The Mooche 5-2 6th
Exotics Use: #1 With Expression 6-1 WON ($10.80)


5th: MCLM/$20k, 3+, 1m (G/S, P3, DD)

Best Value: #4 Giant Fox 9-2 WON ($8.60)
Next Best: #3 Master Yank 3-1 2nd
Exotics Use: #9 Baskets 7-2 4th
Super Add: #5 Ignatius 12-1 3rd


6th: S/ALW, F&M-3+, 1m-T (P4, P3, DD)

Most Likely: #5 Edie 5-2 WON ($4.80)
Best Value: #7 Morethanvictorious 12-1 5th
Next Best: #3 Cotton Pickin 6-1 6th
Exotics Use: #2 Starship Pleasant 3-1 4th


7th: CLM, 3+, 1m (P3, DD)

Only one of Andy Berg's entry will run. Sacred Ground prefered but Mongolia drops to appropriate level..

Most Likely: #7 Springcourt 7-2 3rd
Best Value: #4 Moe Man 8-1 WON ($13.20)
Next Best: #1a Sky Blue Mongolia 5-1 7th
Exotics Use: #2 Love to Run 4-1 2nd


8th: OC/N2X, 3+, 8.5f-T (DD)

Most Likely: #5 Sinatra 9-2 4th
Best Value: #2 Inchcape 8-1 3rd
Next Best: #3 Deep Speed 3-1 WON ($6.20)
Exotics Use: #9 Middleburg 4-1 2nd
Super Add: #1 Where's Danny 30-1 7th


9th: MSW, 3+, 10f-IT

Best Value: #1 Crown Thy Good 10-1 4th
Next Best: #3 Are We Not Men 6-1 -
Exotics Use: #8 Heyaarat 3-1 WON ($5.40)
Super Add: #5 Boss Man 4-1 3rd


<$150 P6 Play:

All A Entries

1 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $2.00

A's with One B

2 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $4.00
3 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 3 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $2.00
4 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 7 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $2.00
5 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1 - $6.00
6 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 2,3 with 1 - $4.00
7 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 3,8 - $4.00

A's with Two B's

8 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 3 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $4.00
9 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 4 with 7 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $4.00
10 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 4 with 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1 - $12.00
11 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 2,3 with 1 - $8.00
12 $2.00 pick P6: 6,7 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 3,8 - $8.00
13 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 3 with 7 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $2.00
14 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 3 with 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1 - $6.00
15 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 3 with 5 with 7 with 2,3 with 1 - $4.00
16 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 3 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 3,8 - $4.00
17 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 7 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1 - $6.00
18 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 7 with 7 with 2,3 with 1 - $4.00
19 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 7 with 7 with 5 with 3,8 - $4.00
20 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 1,2,4 with 2,3 with 1 - $12.00
21 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 3,8 - $12.00
22 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 2,3 with 3,8 - $8.00

A's with One C

23 $2.00 pick P6: 1,3,9 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $6.00
24 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 5,9 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $4.00
25 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 2,3,6,9 with 7 with 5 with 1 - $8.00
26 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 4,9,10 with 1 - $6.00
27 $2.00 pick P6: 8 with 4 with 5 with 7 with 5 with 5,11 - $4.00

Total: $150.00


<$75 P4 Play:

All A Entries

1 $1.00 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 5 with 1,3 - $2.00

A's with One B

2 $1.00 pick P4: 2,3,7 with 7 with 5 with 1,3 - $6.00
3 $1.00 pick P4: 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1,3 - $6.00
4 $1.00 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 2,3,4,9 with 1,3 - $8.00
5 $1.00 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 5 with 5,8 - $2.00

A's with Two B's

6 $0.50 pick P4: 2,3,7 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 1,3 - $9.00
7 $0.50 pick P4: 2,3,7 with 7 with 2,3,4,9 with 1,3 - $12.00
8 $0.50 pick P4: 2,3,7 with 7 with 5 with 5,8 - $3.00
9 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 1,2,4 with 2,3,4,9 with 1,3 - $12.00
10 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 1,2,4 with 5 with 5,8 - $3.00
11 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 2,3,4,9 with 5,8 - $4.00

A's with One C

12 $0.50 pick P4: 8,9 with 7 with 5 with 1,3 - $2.00
13 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 5,8,9 with 5 with 1,3 - $3.00
14 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 10 with 1,3 - $1.00
15 $0.50 pick P4: 5 with 7 with 5 with 11 - $0.50

Total: $73.50


Good luck!
Steve

Today's fifth and sixth races provided studies in everyday race riding and illustrated the fine line between a "smart ride" and a "foolist attempt".

In the fifth, Taylor Rice was again married to the rail and damn near clipped heels entering the stretch. She pulled Giant Fox into the two-to-three path in the lane around the 3/16ths pole for clear sailing to the wire. Manages to earn a smart ride despite poor tactics.

Corey Lanerie took race six after nearly mounting the inner rail with Edie in a race that clearly indicated he will struggle mightily heading into Saratoga and will burn more money for punters than expected. Barely gets a smart ride done here but could have easily been shut off.

Is it just me or has this Belmont meeting been peppered with jockeys who are just unable or unwilling to get their horses into a positive position heading into the far turn? This meeting has been filled with three and four wide trips around the final turn and ram-and-cram attempts on the rail. Perhaps this is a function of not using speed up front in races and turning all too many races into a quarter mile sprint.