Free Picks For Belmont Park - 7/2/20

Race 6- Allowance Optional Claiming $80,000 ( Purse -$66,000)

Eight 3-year-old colts are slated to go one and one-sixteenth miles on the main track. Only four of the runners have gone this distance before. #4 Edge of Fire has run very well in each of his three career races, registering a top 3 finish in all three starts, though he is stretching out just a little in this one. The Ontario horse is coming off a third-place finish after a rough start out of the gate against optional $75,000 claimers going a mile on May 16. John Velasquez gets the ride on the son of Curlin, who is going at least a mile for a third straight race. #7 Creed broke his maiden by pulling away with a seven-length victory going this distance the last time out in a Special Weight race. Jose Ortiz, who has finished in the money in six of his last nine rides, will saddle the Kentucky bred horse for a second straight outing. #2 Life Changer and #3 Mister Winston each broke their maidens in their racing debuts.

Picks: I like an exacta box of #4, #7. I also like a show bet on the #2.

Race 7- Allowance Optional Claiming $80,000 (Purse -$70,000)

This one-mile long field of very strong nine male horses is perhaps the most competitive race that I have handicapped over the last two months. I like a pair of Todd Pletcher horses, #2 Sniper Shot and #3 Spinoff, the best here and I expect them to be the pacesetters. Spinoff, arguably the classiest competitor in the field, is racing for a third time following a long layoff and is coming off a second-place finish in a black-type stakes one and one-eighth mile race the last time out (May 16). The Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby participant has run well recently overall and has a career 66.6% WPS percentage. #2 Sniper Shot is making his Belmont debut and is stepping up in class after defeating $50,000 optional claimers at Gulfstream Park (May 16) going a mile while also recording a personal-best ESpeed of 111. Luis Saez gets the ride on the 4-year-old gelding who has five straight top 2 finishes overall.#8 Wait For It and #4 No Dozing should also be major factors. Wait For It is racing for the first time in over three months and is making his Belmont debut. Wait For It has finished in the money in his two previous appearances following a layoff of this length. No Dozing is also coming off a layoff though he has hit the ticket in five straight races and six of seven.

Picks: I like an exacta box of #2, #3.I also like a trifecta box of #2, #3, #8, #4.

Race 8 - Mount Vernon Stakes (Purse - $100,000)

This one-mile turf stakes race is set to be run by seven fillies and mares that are New York foaled fillies.#1 Fifty Five is the only millionaire in the field as she has spent most of her career racing in stakes events and has cashed in 20 of 22 events overall, including 16 of 18 stakes races with eight victories (all on turf). While the 6-year-old mare has not raced in nearly a year, I believe she is definitely the class of the field and Fifty Five has run well at this distance as well as at Belmont Park. Jockey Javier Castellano has a 19% win rate and 44% WPS percentage in stakes races with the females this year.#4 Munchkin Money appears to be Fifty Five’s chief competitor. The 7-year-old mare also has spent a lot of time on the stakes circuit recently and while she has not scored a victory in any of her nine appearances in this type of event, Munchkin Money does have five top 3 finishes. The speedy Munchkin Money, who has not raced since February, performs well at this distance and at Belmont. #7 Niko’s Dream is making a huge jump in competition, having defeated $25,000 claimers in a one and one-sixteenth mile turf race in May the last time out. The 4-year-old filly has a career 75% WPS percentage and has recorded second-place finishes in her previous two stakes races on the turf. #2 Fetching is stepping up in class after mowing down $40,000 claimers going seven furlongs on the turf. Fetching has the second most early pace in the field. #3 War Canoe as well as #6 Kreesie are also candidates to fill out the bottom of the ticket.

Picks: I will take a show bet on the #4. I will also place an exacta box bet with the #1, #4. I also like a trifecta/superfecta bet of #1 with the #4, #7, #2, #3, #6.