RACE 2: PRECURSORY (#7)

The weekly notebook is full, and it is time to dive in. . . .

Small fields a bicoastal bane

High quality, low quantity. Belmont Park’s blockbuster programs Friday and Saturday continue a troubling trend in dirt stakes – the eight graded races on dirt average only 5.75 entrants per race. It has been happening all year in California. Excluding off-turf stakes, average field size for graded dirt stakes this season at Santa Anita is 5.68 per race.

Belmont | Race 2 | Post Time 1:32 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up

RACE 1: ENDOWED (#4) 

Daily Racing Form has served as the most trusted source of news and information about the sport since 1894, and moving forward we have decided to provide a free daily playbook – something that both hardcore horseplayers and casual observers can reference to get informed of each day’s action.

Belmont | Race 7 | Post Time 4:08 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up 

RACE 2: LOVE’S MISERY (#3)

It’s getting frustrating, these short Saturday stakes fields. Santa Anita has two potentially nice races, but each drew a mere five entrants. Belmont’s feature, the Pennine Ridge, got only six in the field’s main body, no huge surprise since there’s a race in the same division the night before at Penn National and another on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Nonetheless, we’ll try to bob and weave our way into a decent-priced stakes winner or two.

Pennine Ridge

Belmont | Race 3 | Post Time 4:09 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up 

Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive.

Forte

May 27, 1st race Belmont, MdSpWt90k

Beyer: 81

5f 58.21 – 1st by 7 3/4 lengths

b. c. 2, Violence – Queen Caroline, by Blame

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 – $80,000; Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $110,000

Owner: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable