A field of seven fillies and mares will line up in the $500,000 New York (G2) at Belmont Prk on Friday. (© Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com)
The second day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is on tap this afternoon, with six stakes on the 11-race card at Belmont Park on the eve of racing’s third jewel of the Triple Crown.
Saturday’s card gets even better. There is no Triple Crown in the offing, but the 13-race card will feature 10 stakes including six Grade 1 races.
Two of the six stakes this afternoon are graded—the $250,000 True North (G2) and the $500,000 New York (G2).
The field for the True North lost the morning line favorite Private Zone, who was scheduled to make his first start since a fifth in last fall’s Cigar Mile (G1).
The stewards scratched the gelding due to his trainer Brian Lynch testing positive for marijuana in his system, at least temporally costing him his license.
If anyone can tell me how a trainer like Ramon Preciado can still be training after countless positives in horses while Lynch is on the sidelines for testing positive for a substance that is legal in some states in his system, I would like an explanation.
The likely favorite will be Catalina Red, who is sent out by Jorge Navarro, another trainer with a laundry list of positives. The horse ran out of his skin winning the Churchill Downs (G2) in his last outing.
The co-feature on Friday is the $500,000 New York (G2) which drew a field of seven fillies and mares that will go 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf course.
Sea Calisi is one of three in the field sent out by Chad Brown and is the 2-1 morning line favorite. She won the Sheepshead Bay (G2) over yielding ground in her U.S. debut.
Brown will also saddle Dacita (3-1) who was fourth in the Jenny Wiley (G1) in her last outing and Guapaza, who was the runner up behind her stablemate in the Sheepshead Bay in her last start, checking in 2 ½ lengths behind the winner.
Let’s head out to Belmont Park for Friday’s featured race of the day:
Belmont Park Race 9 The New York G2 (Post time 5:14 ET)
#1 Sea Calisi 2-1
#2 Dacita 3-1
#5 Photo Call 4-1
#7 Guapaza 6-1
Analysis: Sea Calisi made her U.S. debut a winning one, taking the Sheepshead Bay (G2) here over yielding footing in her first start off a 6 1/2 month layoff. She won a Group 2 and checked in third in a couple of Group 1 races last year before heading state side. She won with something left in the tank last out and the cut back in distance here won’t hurt her. She looks very tough here as the chalk for the Brown barn.
Dacita is also sent out by Brown. She won the Ballston Spa (G2) last year in her U.S. debut and then was sent off at 5-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) where she was squeezed back coming out of the gate and not much of a threat in a ninth place finish. Her returns race two back was a good one, beaten just a neck in The Very One (G3) and then she was fourth in the Jenny Wiley (G1) last out at Keeneland. She is better going longer than she did last out and capable of better.
Wagering
WIN: #1 to win at 8-5 or better.
EX: 1,2 / 1,2,5,7
TRI: 1,2 / 1,2,5,7 / 1,2,5,6,7
Michael Dempsey’s Belmont Stakes Day Report $20.00
Michael’s Report includes his selections, analysis, fair odds line, and wagering recommendations for the entire Belmont Stakes Day card.
The third jewel of the Triple Crown features an outstanding day of horse betting that also includes the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan, the Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just a Game, the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens, the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap, the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps, the Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn, the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational, the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational, and the $150,000 Easy Goer. Report available on Friday!
