Thursday’s Picks from Belmont Park

The Belmont Park spring/summer meeting kicks off this afternoon, fans will be back in the stands in New York shortly and we are now just nine days away from the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

Belmont Park will run mostly on a Thursday through Sunday schedule until July 11 with 59 stakes races on the calendar with purses of nearly $17 million.

The marquee event of course is the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday June 5, the final jewel of the Triple Crown. The race is the finale during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which features 17 stakes, eight which are Grade 1 races.

The Belmont Stakes Day card features nine stakes including three Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifiers: the one-mile Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan for 4-year-olds and up [Dirt Mile]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the main track [Distaff]; and the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf [Turf Sprint].

The feature tomorrow is the $100,000 Affirmed Success for four-year-olds an upward going six furlongs on the main track. On Saturday the feature is the $100,000 Elusive Quality for four-year-olds and upward going seven furlongs.

‘America’s Day at the races” on FS2 will cover the action this afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 ET.

You can stream the action from Belmont today on YouTube or by using the TVG App. The horse betting company based in the U.S. is offering a 50% deposit match up to $250 .  In addition, AmWager is offering up to a $500 bonus for new horseplayers.

To purchase my Belmont Park Report for Thursday click here .

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 and my Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby Day Reports.

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

BELMONT PARK RACE 1 ANALYSIS (1:00 P.M. ET)

Race 1 Md $50,000

  • #7 Triple Americano 2-1
  • #3 Full Court Press 6-5
  • #1 Run White Rabbit / 1a Principino 5-1
  • #5 Zuzudini 8-1

Analysis: Triple Americano drops back in for a tag here for his third career start for the Atras barn. Last out the gelding tracked the early pace and weakened to finish fourth, beaten eighth lengths. Two back in his debut for a $25,000 tag tracked the early pace while four wide and finished evenly in a third-place finish. He has enough pedigree to handle a one turn mile He is by Tale of the Cat out of an Elusive Quality mare, this he first foal to race. Carmouche sticks for the sharp barn.

Full Court Press adds blinkers and drops in for a tag here for his third career start. He was fourth in his debut, beaten 15 3/4 lengths with the top pair next out winners. Second out going a mile he made a mild late run to finish third while no match for a 12 1/2 length winner. He catches an easier spot here for the Mott barn that is 24% winners dropping runners from maiden special to maiden claiming. He does not need to move forward much off his last effort to get the job done for a live barn, but his price is going to be on the short side. He is out of a stakes placed Tapit mare, this her first foal to race.

BELMONT PARK RACE 6 ANALYSIS (3:39 P.M. ET)

Race 6 Md Sp Wt

  • #1 Community Adjusted 4-1
  • #2 Coalition Building 2-1
  • #5 Higher Truth 9-2
  • #7 Spatial 7-2

Analysis: Community Adjusted is one of two in here sent out by the Clement barn. The filly checked in fourth in her debut last summer at the Spa and returned off the bench last out at Gulfstream Park going 1 1/16 miles. She came with a mild late rally to finish fourth at 11-1, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. She should move forward second off the bench and has the pedigree to handle more ground. She is by Summer Front out of a Dynaformer mare that has dropped seven winners and four have won on turf including stakes placed Atigun ($509,953) and turf stakes winner Path of David ($187,463).

Coalition Building returned off a long layoff and made up some ground late to check in fourth back in January at Gulfstream Park. She was beaten just a head over the turf here back in Oct. of '19 in her second career start. The winner Antoinette is now a three-time stakes winner. She returns now off a three-month break for Brown who is 27% winners (with a +ROI) with runners coming back off a 61–180-day break. She looks as if she should be able to handle 1 1/4 miles. She is by Lemon Drop Kid and the first foal to race out of a War Pass mare.

LIVE LONGSHOTS

These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their Pick 4 or Pick 5 wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win wager.

Belmont Park

  • R1: #5 Zuzudini 8-1
  • R2: #5 So High 10-1
  • R5: 1 Quarky 8-1
  • R8: #1 Trick the Universe 15-1

Good luck today!