Overall, it was not a wise decision to play Sunday, but I am sometimes swayed by the temptation of a good race card or the thought that, “I know that horse.” On this holiday weekend, I believe our forefathers were looking down at me and saying, “What was he thinking?” Even George Washington (the horse, not the president) probably was shaking his head when viewing some of the trips my charges were getting. George Washington (the president, not the horse) was shaking his head regarding the way I let my emotions get the better of me as he watched me chasing late to recoup from some hard luck. I had just spent two relaxing days in Atlantic City, N.J., enjoying the weather and taking in the sights. Just after noon, a friend called and asked about a race at Woodbine and a race at Monmouth. I hadn’t planned on looking at anything but Belmont on Sunday. I looked at the races at Woodbine and Monmouth and told him how I would attack those races. This piqued my interest, and my race day was about to begin. After I got off the phone, I looked at the races and checked the notes I entered into my DRF Formulator past performances. I tabbed Possilicious as a good play at 5-2 in the third race at Belmont but just sat and watched as he eked out a win and paid $7.10. In the fourth race, Amber Morning had high marks for class and speed and was usable with my top choice, Bella Kateri, who was too short at 2-1 to play to win. The exacta paid $79, and still I found myself sitting on my hands. Harbor King showed speed in his last but took the blinkers off. In race 5, where the race shape was hard to define, he was not as much of a reach as his 31-1 odds would have suggested. On top of that, the DRF Clocker Report had this positive note: Despite these signs, I remained on the sidelines, and Harbor King paid $64.50. At this point, there were baseball games I could have watched, or I even could have walked to the pool, but my wife alerted me to the fact that it was closed because a few days earlier, a toddler was not wearing a diaper, and things happened. A cleaning was underway to rectify the situation. Belmont Race 6 I always thought (3) Charity Reins had some ability, and at 9-1, he offered value in a race that went through (9) Point Roll, who was coming off a yearlong layoff for Christophe Clement. I bet $20 to win on Charity Reins, a $10 exacta box 3-9, and a $2 exacta key box three with 4-7-1. The other contenders who I felt had a shot were (1) Sonnyandpally, 7-1; (4) Jax Heritage, 7-2; and (7) Northern Tripp, 6-1. Point Roll set a comfortable pace and never looked back. Charity Reins was hard held, had an uncomfortable trip between horses, and had no late run. I hoped for better but knew that if the favorite was right, he would be hard to beat. Charity Reins’s best races have come when he is allowed to run a bit, but like in his previous race, he might have been too hard held early. I really like Junior Alvarado, but perhaps a switch to a more aggressive rider would help next out. Belmont Race 7 In his last race, which was the first for Gary Gullo off the claim, (4) Joe Mooch contested the pace right from the outset and was narrowly beaten in a game effort. In the past year, Gullo was 3 for 6 the second time off the claim, with a return on investment of more than $4. Stretching out in a race with more quality speed than the previous event, I did not expect him to be on the lead, but I did think he would be forwardly placed, sitting off the front-runners. At 5-1, I liked his chances and wagered $50 to win and backed him up with $10 exactas behind (8) Smooth Bert and (7) Jeter. Additionally, I played a $50 daily double to (1) Maximova in the next race. Smooth Bert sat a clear three-wide stalking trip and whistled once he got the lead on the turn. Joe Mooch sat a nice rail trip on the backstretch but lost ground on the turn. When he got to the top of the stretch, he steadied behind horses and had nowhere to go. He might have had some horse but seemed unwilling to split horses, and watching Angel Cruz try to manipulate his position left me shaking my head. Make no mistake: He wasn’t good enough to win, as he was under a ride throughout, but second place might not have been out of the question. Belmont Race 8 I have always been a fan of (1) Maximova, who was 3-1, and this spot seemed well suited for her, as she was finally getting the class relief she needed to get a much-deserved win. I was dead in the double, so I wagered $100 on her to win. She got a nice stalking trip on the rail but was held under hard restraint despite being keen to go on. Although being ridden under a good hold was not unusual for her, at some point I would have liked to have seen Manny Franco loosen the rein and let her run since she was chasing a dawdling pace. When you have the best horse, sometimes it’s good to trust her. At the top of the stretch, she was boxed in, and when she finally had room to run, Goldy Espony, who was walking on the lead, drew away. The earlier discouragement took its toll on Maximova, as she chased evenly late. I thought she deserved a better chance to win, but when going 1 1/2 miles, sometimes the strategy of the connections is to overthink the distance, which can prove costly. That was a tough beat for me because I do think she was the best horse in that race. Belmont Race 9 I should have packed it in, but at this point, I almost didn’t care if my horse won. I just wanted to see a clean trip. There were two contenders I was wavering between: (3) Isthatallthereis, who had run well in her last three races and was cutting back from nine furlongs to 8 1/2 furlongs, and (9) Hush Now, who was stretching out from seven furlongs. Hush Now’s turf debut was good, and her gallop-out suggested she would like the extra distance. Her pedigree showed some distance, but nothing proven on turf. Both of my contenders were going off at 8-1. I ended up choosing Hush Now, who figured to get the clearer trip from the outside with Eric Cancel aboard. I bet $50 to win and place. Hush Now broke well, but it appeared that the jock lost the irons early. He was able to settle on the backstretch and tracked the pace two back, three wide in the clear, through the backstretch. He chased through upper stretch before tiring. Meanwhile, Isthatallthereis rated toward the rear and had a good late run to just get up for the win. They both had clear trips, but I picked the wrong horse. For the first time during the late pick four sequence, I was not yelling at the TV screen bewildered by my horse’s trip. I just made the wrong choice. I can live with that. Poor trips and questionable rides are aggravating, but they are part of the game. When things go from bad to worse, you need to try to stop at bad before you get to worse. It only eats up bankroll that could be used on another day. I usually keep my emotions in check, but I had three races in a row at Belmont where a more aggressive ride might have allowed me to cash a ticket and change the dynamic of the day. I probably did not make our forefathers proud on this Fourth of July weekend, but for me, it’s time to turn the page and attack the next race. That is something I think both George Washingtons would be proud of.