posted July 2, 2009 at 11:35 EST in Horse Racing Free Picks
Padding your Bankroll from Belmont Park
We finally had a day at Belmont Park where all of the schedule turf races were actually run on the turf course, and I can’t remember the last time that happened.
The play of the day for Thursday comes early in the card, a maiden special weight race for two year olds, a promising field of ten set to go to post including a pair of entries.
The Stanley Hough duo of Royal Stocks and Discreetly Mine gets the call, at least whichever of the two that actually starts.
With jockey Edgar Prado listed to ride both, one will be a late scratch.
Our late Pick 3 play features a couple of turf sprints sandwiched between the $65,000 Wandering Cloud Stakes, which drew a field of six.
Dance Gal Dance and Northern Netti will vie for favoritism in the race, and they are my two picks on our ticket, which for $1 is a $24 investment.
We have a couple of decent prices in the opening ands closing legs of the three race sequence, which should give us a good shot of solving the wager and padding our bankroll.
Today's Play of the Day from Belmont Park:
BEL Race 4 Md Sp Wt (2:36 ET)
#2 Royal Stocks / #2b Discreetly Mine 5/2
#5 Gantry 5/1
#8 Selfless 3/1
#1 Bulls and Bears / #1a Not Macho Any More 9/2
Analysis: #2 Royal Stocks drilled a bullet on 6/30 to cap off a solid looking work tab for his debut here for the Hough barn that is 13% winners with first time starters. The colt is by Concorde's Tune (9% winners with debut runners) out of the stakes winner Silk Stocks ($93K), who has dropped nine foals to race, all winners, top earner stakes winner Razor ($192K). He looks ready to fire first out.
His entry mate #2b Discreetly Mine also has Edgar aboard, so only one will go. The colt is by Mineshaft (4% with debut runners) out of the stakes winner Pretty Discreet, who has dropped five winners including stakes winners Pretty Wild ($398K) and Discreet Cat ($1.7 million). The colt also has been working sharply in the mornings and either half of the entry here look like they can win here.
#5 Gantry is a $140K Keeneland purchase making his debut for the Hushion barn that is 16% winners with firsters. The colt is by Pulpit out of the stakes winner Rhum ($306K), who has dropped three winners, top earner stakes placed Song of Pirates ($77K). Noting wrong with the way this guy is working and this barn usually has them ready to go early.
Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 9/5 or better.
EX: 2,5 / 1,2,5,8
TRI: 2,5 / 1,2,5,8 / 1,2,4,5,8
Today’s Pick 3 Play from Belmont Park:
Starting in Race 7: $1: 2,3,4 / 1,6 / 1,2,5,7 = $24
BEL Race 7 Clm $35,000 (4:12 ET)
#3 Innovator, #4 Tempest Storm, #2 Sneaky Girl
#3 Innovator stalked the early pace, split runners in upper stretch and finished well for third last out for this tag, beaten a length for the top spot. The mare was making her first start off a six-month layoff. She has done her best running over the turf here (12-4-3-2) and she is in good hands with the Bond barn. The 6/1 ML looks more than fair.
#4 Tempest Storm set the early fractions and could not hold off the winner late in a runner up finish going 7 1/2 furlongs at Del Park for a $30K tag. The filly looks back on track after getting drilled in her two previous starts. She has won 2 of 3 over the turf here and she busted a couple of bullet works since her last outing.
BEL Race 8 Wandering Cloud S. (4:45 ET)
#1 Dance Gal Dance, #6 Northern Netti
#1 Dance Gal Dance set the early fractions and weakened in the stretch to finish second in the Glowing Horn, which was her first start off a 13-month layoff. The filly won her first four career starts, two of those victories coming in state bred stakes. She returns to face NY breds here in her second start off the bench and she does not need to move forward much off her last effort to win here.
#6 Northern Netti snapped our top pick's four race win streak last May, and she looks ready to fire a good one here in her second start off a 6 1/2 month layoff. She returned last out against optional claimers for non-winners of four and finished well for fourth while beaten just 3/4 of a length for the top spot. The third place finisher in the race was Casanova Killer, who beat Alw-3 optional claimers in her next outing on 6/25 at Penn. The Weaver barn was off to a very slow start at the meeting but his runners have performed well here over the past couple of weeks.
BEL Race 9 Md Sp Wt (5:17 ET)
#2 Better Than Swiss, #1 Cherry Lady, #7 By the Sky, #5 Petal Meadow
#2 Better Than Swiss is making her first start since last September for the Tony D. barn that is 29% winners with horses coming back off a +180 day layoff. The filly was in the mix in all four of her starts on turf last year while under the care of the Albertrani barn including missing by just a neck two back going 5 1/2 furlongs at the Spa. She has two sibs that are winners and they both have shown some talent: 4 for 10 Makani ($56K) and 2 for 7 Lyin' Heart ($115K).
#1 Cherry Lady dueled for the early lead and held on gamely for second, beaten a half-length for the top spot when coming back from Tampa. She was 3 1/4 lengths clear of the third place finisher Luna Charm, who came back to beat maiden special weight company in her next outing on 6/14. She makes her second start off a two-month break while cutting back to a sprint. She seems to be in the best form of her career right now.
Price Plays From Belmont Park:
These are price plays to watch today. A small win-place wager is in order or if your pockets are deep enough, use these runners in your trifecta and Pick 3 and Pick 4 wagers. One or two of these could be the difference between a regular day at the track and hitting the IRS window with a signer.
R1: #9 Singing My Song 12/1
R2: #8 Chromosphere 12/1
R6: #4 Smokin Pistol 8/1
R9: #5 Petal Meadow 10/1
Good luck padding your bankroll today!
