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Horse Racing

At the Gate – Wednesday

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
We are now three days into the Belmont Park meeting and the chalkfest continued on Sunday, with eight of the nine winners paying $5.80 or less.

We had one longshot score, Miss Marrissa returning $39.00. She was just the second winner that paid more than $10.00 through 26 races.

The other was Turf War, who returned $19.60 on opening day for trainer Chad Brown. A total of 20 of the 28 winners through the first three days of the meeting paid $7.00 or less.

We are back in action on Wednesday with an eight-race card and a 3:00 eastern post time. Of the eight races on the card the morning line favorite is not my top pick in any race, so perhaps we might finally see some prices this afternoon.





We have plenty of good stakes action to look forward to this weekend including five Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” races. We have two on Saturday at Churchill Downs, and one on Saturday and two on Sunday at Woodbine.

The highlight on Saturday is the $1 million Woodbine Mile with the winner earning a free ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Mile. It looks as if we will have a field of 10 lining up.

I will have selections and analysis for the race in Saturday’s column along with either my picks for the $200,000 Iroquois (G3) or Pocahontas (G2) from Churchill Downs.

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package . . It gives you a month of Belmont Park Reports daily and my Best Plays Report each Saturday and Sunday.

To purchase my Saratoga Report for Wednesday click here .

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

BEL Race 1 Md Sp Wt (3:00 ET)
#3 Ajaaweed 7-2
#6 Ox Bridge 8-5
#1 Basie / 1a Brewmeister 9-5
#4 Forza Di Oro 20-1

Analysis: Ajaaweed stalked the early pace while saving ground, angled out five wide and finished evenly in a fifth-place finish in his debut, sent off at 6-1 in a field of nine. The third-place finisher Famished came back to graduate in his next outing on Aug. 31. The barn is 21% winners with second out maidens. The colt is by Curlin out of a stakes placed Daaher mare that has dropped two other foals to race with one winner.

Ox Bridge put in a solid effort in his debut in a runner up finish for Pletcher. The colt tracked the early pace and was no match for a gate to wire winner who came back to run third in the Hopeful (G1) in his next outing. The colt is out of an A.P. Indy mare that has dropped six winners, top earner stakes winner S'maverlous ($685,591). Pletcher is 27% winners with second out maidens.

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 3,6 / 1,3,6
TRI: no play

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

BEL Race 7 OClm $80,000N1X (6:12 ET)
#2 Nay Lady Nay 7-2
#6 Fierce Scarlett 4-5
#1 Ever Changing 10-1
#5 Xanthique 9-2

Analysis: Nay Lady Nay is the higher price of the two Chad Brown sends out in this spot. The filly broke her maiden last out at Monmouth Park in her second career start after a fourth here in her debut. Four runners she beat all came back to graduate in their next starts. The $210,000 Ocala purchase is by No Nay Never out of an English Channel mare that has dropped two other foals to race including a turf winner.

Fierce Scarlett makes her first start since January where she made a good late rally to come up just a neck shy of winning at this level. The filly that beat her was Itsmyluckycharm who has gone on to win four stakes. The Brown trainee was fourth in the Jessamine (G2) two back beaten four lengths by Concrete Rose who has won four stakes since including the Belmont Oaks (G1) and Saratoga Oaks. The Brown barn is 28% winner with runners coming back off a +180-day layoff.

Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 2,6 / 1,2,5,6
TRI: 2,6 / 1,2,5,6 / 1,2,4,5,6

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
R1: #4 Forza Di Oro 20-1
R2: #4 Gins and Tins 10-1
R4: #7 Karen’s Gem 8-1
R5: #1 Fairy Link 15-1
R7: #1 Ever Changing 10-1

Good luck today!

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