At the Gate - Saturday
By Mike Dempsey
We have a three-day carryover in the Pick 6 at Belmont Park for Saturday, with the pool having grown to $208,914.
The winners in the sequence on Friday paid $$8.40, $15.40, $5.70, $14.40, $7.20 and $34.40. The finale was won by longshot first timer Ross J Hawg for the Steve Klesaris barn.
Saturday’s Pick 6 starts with the fifth race (3:24 ET) which is a maiden special weight race which drew a full field and gets the sequence off to a tricky start.
The sixth race is the $125,000 Rockville Centre which drew eight with seven betting interests. Manipulated and Spin Cycle race as an entry while Lucky Lutie is the 9-5 morning line favorite off a game maiden score in his debut.
The seventh race is a $40,000 non-winners of two on turf that drew a full field and is a wide-open race. Police Camp is worth tossing in the mix at his 8-1 morning line exiting a key race where he ran third behind a pair of next out winners.
The eighth race is a first level allowance race which drew 10 including the Todd Pletcher trained Dekalb County, who beat $50,000 starter allowance foes last out in a gate to wire score, but was aided by a speed friendly racing strip that day.
The ninth race is a state bred second level optional claimer that drew a field of 10. It is another wide-open race and I plan on going deep.
The finale is a $40,000 maiden claimer on turf and drew a full field. Splendid Gold (3-1) and Hatta’s Appeal (6-1) look appealing but it another challenging race to come up with the winner.
We could see the pool grow close to $1 million, and with the large fields, it is going to take playing crafty tickets to take down the pool.
Here is today’s opening race from Belmont Park to get the day off to a good start:
BEL Race 1 Md $20,000 (1:20 ET)
5 Heavy Hitter 4-1
6 Rick Ant 3-1
3 Mandolin Wins 5-2
1 Ganso 8-1
Analysis: Heavy Hitter stalked the early pace and came with a mild late run to finish third last out for this tag, beaten three lengths for the top spot. The gelding has shown improvement and another move forward looks good enough to get the job done here. This gelding has five sibs that are winners including stakes winner Big Screen ($363,837).
Rick Ant tracked the early pace and did not have enough punch left late in a fourth place finish against $40,000 foes. He drops into a softer spot here tagged for $20,000. He is a half to four winners including a pair of stakes winners, top earner Lucky Livi ($275,591).
Wagering
WIN: #5 to win at 3-1 or better.
EX: 5,6 / 1,3,5,6
TRI: 5,6 / 1,3,5,6 / 1,3,5,6,8
Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Belmont Park:
BEL Race 6 The Rockville Centre (3:55 ET)
2 Lucky Lurie 9-5
3 Love That Jazz 2-1
4 Uno Emayo 8-1
1 Manipulated / 1a Spin Cycle 4-1
Analysis: Lucky Lurie took plenty of action in his debut despite Hennig being on the light side with firsters and the colt showed some grit battling on in the stretch to win by a neck over Love That Jazz. The colt is a good-looking son of Girolamo and figures to move forward off his debut effort. He picks up Castellano with Maragh out injured.
Love That Jazz brushed a foe coming out of the gate, showed good early zip setting the early fractions and battled on gamely, missing by just a neck at 5-1. The Asmussen barn usually moves them forward second out and the top pair just look quicker than the rest of the field here, which looks likely to produce a chalky exacta.
Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 8-5 or better.
EX: 2,3 / 1,2,3,4
TRI: 2,3 / 1,2,3,4 / 1,2,3,4,7
Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Del Mar:
DMR Race 4 The Eddie Read G1 (3:42 PT)
3 Midnight Storm 8-5
4 Power Ped 8-1
7 Finnegans Wake 2-1
2 Gabriel Charles 5-1
Analysis: Midnight Storm had a three race winning streak snapped last out when he ran a game second to Talca in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita, beaten a half-length for the top spot. His winning streak included a win in the Del Mar Derby (G2) here last August in his lone start at nine furlongs. The colt makes his third start off the layoff here for the Phillip D’Amato barn. He has landed in the exacta in seven of his nine career starts and owns the edge in early and mid pace numbers. He will be tough to catch in this spot.
Power Red made a good late rally to finish to third behind Finnegans Wake in the San Marcos and was placed second via a disqualification. The Neil Drysdale trainee won the Fitzsimmons two back at Turf paradise at a mile. His last three efforts have been his best speed fig wise and if Big Cazanova can give our top pick a battle early this guy may benefit. Worth tossing in the mix if he goes off near his 8-1 morning line.
Finnegans Wake is back on his preferred surface after checking in fourth in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) last out on dirt. He won the Woodward Reserve Turf Classic (G1) three back at Churchill Downs. His lone trip over the grass here was a win in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) when it was run here for the first time last November. He reunites with Victor Espinoza, who was aboard for his last five victories.
Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 8-5 or better.
EX: 3,4 / 2,3,4,7
TRI: 3,4 / 2,3,4,7 / 1,2,3,4,7
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
R1: #1 Ganso 8-1
R3: #2 Gridley Here 10-1
R4: #1 War Hero 8-1
R8: #4 Uno Emayo 8-1
R7: #11 Police Camp 8-1
R8: #9 Indian Brut 10-1
R8: #5 Round 10-1
R9: #2 Ms. Sylvia A. 20-1
Good luck today!
