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Horse Racing

At the Gate – Thursday

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
We had a good Memorial Day at Belmont Park with five winners on top and six recommended exactas that returned $29.60, $78.50, $39.60, $14.00, $30.60 and $104.50.

It was also a good holiday weekend on the Gulf Coast here in Florida as Tropical Storm Alberto pretty much bypassed us, but not before most of the holiday weekend events were canceled.

My better half is a professional musician and had two outside gigs canceled on Saturday and Sunday and it turned out not a drop of rain fell during that timeframe.

For once it was not me cursing out The Weather Channel, and that certainly was a change.

We are getting closer to the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the field is starting to come into focus. We could see as many as 11 runners attempt to snuff out the Triple Crown bid of Justify.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner worked four furlongs at Churchill Downs on Wednesday and he looks super. His odds, not so much. He is currently listed at -145 at [...] in early Belmont Stakes betting.

One horse racing scribe wrote the other day that if Justify wins the Triple Crown there should be an asterisk next to his name since his connections are not running Audible, who likely would have been the second choice in the betting.

That’s just complete nonsense. Does anyone remember how may foes Sir Barton beat in his Belmont Stakes win? The answer is two. Gallant Fox only had to beat three foes.

Five years from now I doubt anyone will remember Audible unless maybe he come back and beats Justify in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Latest Belmont Stakes Odds via [...] :
Bandua +3500
Blended Citizen +1800
Bravazo +750
Free Drop Billy +3500
Gronkowski +3500
Hofburg +450
Justify -145
Tenfold +875
Vino Rosso +950
Restoring Hope +3500
Noble Indy +2500
Seahenge +5000

To purchase my Belmont Park Report for Wednesday click here .

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package, which will give you a full month of reports from Belmont Park, my Best Plays Report each weekend, and the Belmont Stakes Festival from Belmont Park.

Here is the opening race from Belmont Park to get the day off to a good start:

BEL Race 1 Md Sp Wt (1:30 ET)
#3 Mockery 5-2
#5 Golden Award 8-5
#2 Creative Princess 5-1
#1 Presumptuous 9-5

Analysis: Mockery is coming off a pair of sixth place finishes behind repeat winners in her first two starts this year, two back on turf. She showed some promise last year running third in her debut and then second in the slop at the Spa in her second career start. She adds blinkers here and catches a pretty weak looking group. With the hood added she figures to be on or near the pace. The McLaughlin trainee is a half to a couple of good runners in Fortify ($323,407) and Bay of Plenty ($336,800).

Golden Award was last early in her debut and finished evenly in a fifth-place finish, sent off as the 5-2 betting favorite in a field of eight. She returns with blinkers added for the Mott barn that is 16% winners with second out maidens. By Medaglia d'Oro who is out of an Arch mare that has dropped three winners, top earner three-time Grade 1 winner I'll Have Another ($2.6 million).

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 2-1 or better.
EX: 3 / 2,5
TRI: no play

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Belmont Park:

BEL Race 7 Clm $25,000 (4:46 ET)
#7 Mr. Tickle 9-2
#2 Going Strong 7-2
#1 Catholic Cowboy 3-1
#5 Nobody Move 4-1

Analysis: Mr. Tickle was the beaten chalk last out at Fair Grounds on the turf against $10,000 starter optional claimers. He ran second beaten seven lengths to repeat winner Throwacross who came back to win at the same level in his next outing on May 14 at Louisiana Downs on May 14. He was claimed out of his last outing by the Diodoro barn that is 21% winners first off the claim, taking him off the sharp Cox barn. He has not been on a fast dirt surface since running fourth against restricted $25,000 claimers back in '16. The barn is 24% winners moving runners form turf to dirt. He looks like a good fit here tagged for $25,000.

Going Strong stalked the early pace and finished gamely to just miss by a neck last out against $20,000m claimers in his first start off the claim by the Gullo barn that does good work with recent acquisitions. he was taken for $16,000 two back out of a fourth-place finish going six furlongs. He has run pretty well over the main track here, landing in the exacta in four of seven trips with one win and a repeat of his last effort here looks good enough to be in the mix.

Wagering
WIN: #7 to win at 7-2 or better.
EX: 2,7 / 1,2,5,7
TRI: 2,7 / 1,2,5,7 / 1,2,4,5,7

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Belmont Park
R2: #2 Acorn Street 8-1
R3: #1 Metaphorical 8-1
R5: #1 Factor This 8-1
R6: #9 Theodosia 15-1

Good luck today!

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