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Horse Racing

At the Gate – Friday

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read
We are down to the final three days of the Belmont Park meeting, with Saratoga starting up next Friday for their summer meeting which will go until Labor Day.

We go out with a bang (no pun intended) this weekend with a pair of stakes this afternoon, five graded stakes on Saturday and one stake on closing day on Sunday.

Today’s $100,000 River Memories drew 13 with one main track only runner and two others—Pamina and Theodora B. likely to scratch according to their trainer Michael Dickinson.





That still leaves a competitive field led by the Brad Cox trained Gaining (7-2), who was the runner up in the Keertana last out at Churchill Downs.

The co-feature is the $150,000 Victory Ride (G3) for three-year-old fillies going 6 ½ furlongs on the main track. The race drew just five, but it is tough to separate them.

I hate five horse fields with a passion, but this one is not too bad. Sue’s Fortune is the 7-5 morning line favorite and is coming in off a runner up finish in the Jersey Girl.

Royal Charlotte (9-5) is perfect in three starts in her career. The Chad Brown trainee won the Hystericalady last out at Monmouth Park.

I am going to look for more value with Brill (5-1), who was formerly in the Jerry Hollendorfer barn. His former assistant Don Chatlos is now the trainer and I think this filly may appreciate the cut back in distance.

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package for just $99.95. It gives you a month of Belmont Park/Saratoga daily and Best Plays Report each Saturday and Sunday.

To purchase my Belmont Park Reports for Friday click here .

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

BEL Race 1 Alw $82,000N1X (1:30 ET)
#2 Passing Out 5-1
#1 Altea 1-1
#5 Alassayil 5-2
#7 Salsa Bella 7-2

Analysis: Passing Out was a smart looking maiden winner in her debut and then was fifth last out at nine furlongs over good ground. The Shug filly should be tighter second off the bench and still looks as if she has some upside. She appears to have the best shot of beating the imposing Brown trainee.

Altea makes her first start since getting outrun in the Pebbles last fall over soft round. She has landed in the money in three Group or Graded stakes in her career. The blinkers come off for Brown who is 29% winners with runners coming back off a +180-day layoff. She drops in class and catches a soft spot only having to face four foes.

Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 7-2 or better.
EX: 2 / 1,5
TRI: no play

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

BEL Race 7 The River Memories (4:45 ET)
#8 Gaining 7-2
#2 Fools Gold 8-1
#4 Semper Sententiae 9-2
#5 Homeland Security 10-1

Analysis: Gaining prompted the early pace and finished gamely in a runner up finish in the Keeneland last out at Churchill Downs going 1 1/2 miles. Two back the mare was a solid second in the Bewitch over good ground at the same distance in her first start off a 5 1/2-month layoff and in her U.S. debut. The winner of the Bewitch was Ickymasho, who came back to win the Searching at Pimlico on May 18. She won a Group 3 in France three back before hitting the sidelines and coming to the U.S. and landing with Cox.

Fools Gold made a good late rally to finish third last out in the Ms. Liberty at Monmouth Park going 1 11/6 miles on turf. She makes her third start of her current form cycle for the Brown barn and looks very capable of handling the extra ground. She is by Medaglia d'Oro out of the stakes winner Moment of Majesty ($630,629).

Wagering
WIN: #8 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 2,8 / 2,4,5,8
TRI: 2,8 / 2,4,5,8 / 2,4,5,8,10

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
R5: #6 Bitumen 8-1
R6: #10 Estill 8-1
R6: #2 Ygritte 10-1
R7: #2 Fools Gold 8-1
R7: #5 Homeland Security 10-1
R9: #11 Valencia Vale 10-1

Good luck today!

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