NEW YORK – All of Saturday’s major stakes racing happens in the evening, and at Churchill Downs. The Grade 2, $600,000 Stephen Foster tops a Churchill card that includes four other graded stakes – the Fleur de Lis and the Wise Dan, which are Grade 2 events worth $250,000 each, and the Matt Winn and Regret, which are Grade 3 races worth $150,000 each.
Stephen Foster Stakes
Race 3: Toohottoevenspeak (#4)
Should appreciate the cutback to a sprint after trying longer distances in his recent starts.
Ran a competitive speed going seven furlongs two back over a sloppy track.
May get his preferred wet surface given that there is rain in the forecast on Thursday.
3-1 on ML
Belmont Park | Race 8 | Post Time 5:18 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
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This is easily the most competitive race on the card. In my opinion, you can make a legitimate case for 9 of the 11 runners entered for turf, so of course I want to look for a price.
Race 2: Fair Lassie (#4)
The Pace Projector is predicting that she will be on the lead in a situation favoring the front-runner.
Earned TimeformUS Speed Figures in the low 80s in her first two starts, which are higher than the favorite’s best numbers.
Should appreciate the drop in class after racing in tougher spots most recently.
5-1 on ML
Belmont Park | Race 4 | Post Time 3:08 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
Race 2: Make Motime (#7)
Uncle Mo is a 15 percent sire with first-time turfers and there is ample turf pedigree deep in his female family.
Adds Lasix for the first time as he gets on the right surface.
May get somewhat overlooked due to the low-profile connections.
10-1 on ML
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The early pick five (races 1-5) on the Belmont Stakes card just doesn’t appear to have a lot of room for chaos. The fields are generally short and I see a lot of horses that, frankly, look overmatched on paper. I’ll put in a $48 caveman play and hope to turn at least a decent profit, though this thing could chalk out and not return much at all.
Today's $1.5 million-guaranteed pick four is one of the featured entrees on today's Belmont Stakes Day betting menu. Video previews for these races can be found at video.drf.com.
:: Build your pick four ticket with DRF TicketMaker
Race 8 - Woody Stephens Stakes
The late Pick 4 at Woodbine on Saturday, the best one of the meet so far, starts on the eighth race, the nine-furlong Plate Trial Stakes, which has a vulnerable favorite in Federal Law.
He turned back off two dull routes to win the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes three weeks ago. I’m siding with the second and third choices on the line, Queenston third-place finisher Dun Drum (5), and Jammin Still (8), who has worked nicely since finishing a troubled second in an allowance.
