It’s rarely uncomplicated, this forecasting racing outcomes a couple days in advance. On the East Coast this Saturday, the undefined variable is turf-course condition. With heavy rain supposed to sweep up the Atlantic seaboard Thursday night into Friday evening, it’s a guessing game as of Thursday trying to determine the state of the turf course at Belmont, which has an excellent multi-stakes card, and Delaware, with a good grass race of its own. We’ll plow ahead with races at both tracks, regardless, hoping Saturday sunshine will dry things enough to make these races reasonably formful. Belmont Oaks I’m avoiding the Belmont Derby, though really looking forward to seeing how it goes down. Palazzi, Cellist, and, especially, Du Jour, all have impressed me at various points this year, and while Du Jour seems best among that trio, he’s first out for a new barn, racing on softer ground than he’s encountered, coming off a perfect trip, and unproven beyond nine furlongs. I do worry a bit about Lasix-off for the big local hope Hard Love, and couldn’t take a short price on Irish invader Bolshoi Ballet. He did have a Derby excuse at Epsom but should have shown more than he did, and while his left-handed win two back at Leopardstown was visually impressive, he was beating the proverbial tomato cans. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Aidan O’Brien trains Bolshoi Ballet and also has the strong favorite for the Belmont Oaks, Santa Barbara. This filly got huge hype all year and was the parimutuel favorite for the 2000 Guineas and the Oaks, running decently in the former and not decently in the latter. She finally took a step toward legitimating her reputation in the Pretty Polly Stakes going this 10-furlong trip just two weekends ago, but do keep in mind that she was getting nine pounds from the winner, the mare Thundering Nights, who had been second in New York in her last out. French shipper Cirona did have some traffic in the Prix de Diane, but much of her late trouble came because she was somewhat flat, back on her heels, and not capable of asserting force when put in tight quarters. She can outrun her odds, but I’ll play Plum Ali at something close to the published price. At Keeneland in her 2021 debut, Plum Ali rallied decently into a false pace set by gate-to-wire winner Jouster, but even so, I questioned at the time whether she had mainly been an early developing 2-year-old. Things don’t look that way now. Plum Ali got a post-Keeneland break, returning June 3 in the Wonder Again with easily the best race of her career, a long, sustained run while very, very wide that propelled her past all save the perfect-trip winner. She now has the look of a horse who will appreciate her first try over a distance this long, and Plum Ali seems set to take another step forward and give the chalk all she wants. Robert G. Dick Memorial Thinking that Temple City Terror’s connections discovered how to boost this useful mare to a higher level when they finally stretched her out beyond a middle distance and tried 1 1/2 miles last out in the Keertana Stakes. Not only did Temple City Terror run down capable loose leader Dalika, she did so with a career-best Beyer Speed Figure, and now comes back in the 11-furlong Dick. :: DRF Bets players get free Daily Racing Form Past Performances and up to 5% weekly cashback. Click to learn more. Temple City Terror nearly always has been coming forward late in her races, and it’s reasonable to expect she at least runs back to the Keertana. I’d even guess she stands a solid chance of improving upon that performance. Dalika is one of several apparent pace players entered and Temple City Terror should get a fair setup at a fair price. She’s handled courses with cut in the ground before, should the Delaware course still hold moisture into late Saturday afternoon. Fury You know, there are plenty of maiden races carded at Woodbine, yet ace Woodbine trainer Mark Casse and the prominent owners of Astrological eschew all those spots in favor of the richer Fury Stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies. Taking that into consideration, the open turf maiden race where Astrological debuted has the look of a prep for this spot, and Astrological’s main-track Woodbine works suggest she’s very comfortable on the Tapeta. Casse has a strong local record with second-time starters going from turf to synthetic and moving into stakes competition, and Astrological should comfortably reach her 6-1 morning-line odds.