Belmont Derby Invitational tops massive Belmont Saturday

Just weeks after the historic Triple Crown, Belmont Park is serving up another huge Saturday of big races and even bigger purses. Topping the six-stakes card is the $1,250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational on the grass which drew a field of nine runners including Bolo. Bolo will return to turf racing where he’s 3 for 4 in his career, with all of those wins coming in Southern California. After finishing up the track in the Kentucky Derby he won an open allowance on the grass in wire to wire fashion as his prep for this spot. He’ll have to face Divisidero and Takeover Target who are coming off 1-2 finishes in the Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park just a few weeks back. Divisidero got the win that day and caught Takeover Target in the final yards, winning by a neck. Takeover Target will have to rebound off that loss, which was his first in three career starts. But being so lightly raced you have to think he’s more than likely to improve in career start number four. Force the Pass is coming off a win in the Grade 3 Penn Mile but this is certainly a step up in competition. There are also a couple of Euro shippers in Canndal and Postulation who represent very solid connections and deserve a look.

The $1,000,000 Belmont Oaks features some very top quality fillies as Lady Eli will once again grace the Belmont turf, a course she’s 2 for 2 over. She’s a perfect 5 for 5 in her career and it will take a top effort from her competitors to bring her down. Her main challenge could come from Spanish Queen who ships East off a big win in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita. The travel is the question mark with her as her ability and speed figures put her in the mix. Consumer Credit was third in the American Oaks but does own a win over the Belmont lawn. Tonalist heads up a short field in the $500,000 Suburban Handicap. He’ll face just five rivals and he was most recently second in the Grade 1 Met Mile. That was his only loss at Belmont Park from 5 starts and there is no Honor Code in this field. He will have to face Coach Inge who very gamely battled back to win the Brooklyn Handicap back on June 6^th at Belmont Park.

Private Zone tops a good group in the Belmont Sprint Championship. He was third last out in the Grade 1 Met Mile and should appreciate the cutback to seven furlongs. He’s ultra game when he’s on the lead, but he will have to work for it early in here. The Big Beast could be one that comes on running late if Private Zone backs up. Texas Red shows up in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes on Saturday. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner finished a good second in the Grade 2 San Vicente then headed back to the sidelines and reappears here. Promise Me Silver will look to get back to her winning ways in the Victory Ride as she tasted defeat last time out at Belmont. She had been 8 for 8 prior to that so if she once again doesn’t take to the Belmont surface some value could be had.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Belmont Derby Invitational

1. Divisidero
2. Takeover Target
3. Bolo

Longshot: Force The Pass

BetPTC.com Selections for the Suburban

1. Tonalist
2. Effinex
3. Mylute

Longshot: Street Babe

BetPTC.com Selections for the Belmont Oaks

1. Lady Eli
2. Spanish Queen
3. Consumer Credit

Longshot: Sharla Rae

BetPTC.com Selections for the Belmont Sprint

1. Private Zone
2. The Big Beast
3. Bay of Plenty

Longshot: Clearly Now

BetPTC.com Selections for the Dwyer

1. Texas Red
2. Blofeld
3. Smart Transition

Longshot: Tommy Macho

BetPTC.com Selections for the Victory Ride

1. Enchanting Lady
2. Miss Ella
3. Promise Me Silver

Longshot: Kathballu

Sunday is the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine

The biggest race for three year old Canadian breds is on Sunday as Woodbine will showcase the 156^th Queen’s Plate. A full field of 14 will go the mile and one quarter including Danish Dynaformer who is the 3/1 morning line favorite. Danish Dynaformer won the Plate Trial with ease a few weeks back. Shaman Ghost was third in that Plate Trial and will be back to try and turn the tables on Danish Dynaformer. Academic comes off a big win in the Woodbine Oaks a couple weeks back and looks to be the second consecutive horse to pull off an Oaks-Plate Double as Lexie Lou accomplished the feat a year ago. Ami’s Flatter was on the Kentucky Derby trail for a while this spring and comes into the Plate not in his best form after finishing seventh as the 3/5 favorite in the Marine Stakes. He was second in the Tampa Bay Derby and third in the Florida Derby earlier this year so he clearly has some class, but he’ll have to reverse his current form to contend.

The $200,000 Dance Smartly, the $150,000 Singspiel and the $200,000 Highlander Stakes compliment the Queens Plate card that gets underway at 12pm EST. The Queens Plate is set for post time at 5:38pm EST on Sunday.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Queen’s Plate

1. Danish Dynaformer
2. Billy’s Star
3. Conquest Boogaloo

Longshot: Portree

Los Alamitos Thoroughbreds and Ellis Park open up this weekend

Both Los Alamitos and Ellis Park open up this weekend for short meets filled with great racing. Los Alamitos features just a two week meet but the Saturday card includes the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby. Los Alamitos Thoroughbreds will run Thursday through Sunday the next two weeks with first post at 5:15pm EST. Ellis Park in Kentucky will race Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as a special Monday card on Labor Day, which is closing day. First post each day is 1:50pm EST. The seasonal feature is the Grade 3 Groupie Doll Stakes on August 8^th.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Los Alamitos Derby

1. Prospect Park
2. Kentuckian
3. Gimme Da Lute

Saturday night is Louisiana Legends night at Evangeline

Evangeline Downs will be celebrating the Louisiana bred on Saturday night with the annual Louisiana Legends Night card. Seven stakes events on a card that gets underway at 6:40pm EST and is topped by the $125,000 Classic. Stormdriver is the 5/2 morning line favorite and is coming off a very strong second place run in the $100,000 Evangeline Mile, an open race. Now with the move back to state bred runners he’ll get some class relief. Both his two starts at Evangeline have been two of the best of his career. Heavy on Themister is an old veteran of Louisiana racing as the 7 year old has racked up over a half million dollars in earnings. He won an optional claiming event last time out and has been in the exacta in 7 of 12 career starts at Evangeline.

BetPTC.com Selections for the La. Legends Classic

1. Storm Driver
2. Social Misfit
3. Fort Wagner

Longshot: Satellite Sopo

Saturday Stakes Action at BetPTC.com

Arlington Park

Race 4                  Purple Violet Stakes                           6:14pm EST

Belmont Park

Race 6                  Victory Ride Stakes                            3:15pm EST

Race 7                  Dwyer Stakes                                      3:52pm EST

Race 8                  Belmont Derby Invitational               4:32pm EST

Race 9                  Suburban Handicap                          5:11pm EST

Race 10                Belmont Oaks Invitational           5:46pm EST

Race 11               Belmont Sprint Championship     6:23pm EST

Canterbury Park

Race 3                  Victor Myers Stakes                           2:55pm EST

Race 4                  Francis Genter Stakes                       3:25pm EST

Ellis Park

Race 8                  Ellis Park Turf                                   5:10pm EST

Evangeline Downs

Race 5                  La. Legends Soiree Stakes                  8:28pm EST

Race 6                  La. Legends Mademoiselle Stakes   8:55pm EST

Race 7                  La. Legends Cheval Stakes                  9:22pm EST

Race 8                  La. Legends Distaff                              9:49pm EST

Race 9                  La. Legends Turf                                    10:16pm EST

Race 10                  La. Legends Sprint                             10:43pm EST

Race 11                 La. Legends Classic                           11:10pm EST

Indiana Grand

Race 4                  Jaguar Rocket Futurity              7:29pm EST

Race 5                  Heartland Futurity Finals             7:57pm EST

Race 6                  Indiana Grand Classic                 8:24pm EST

Race 7                  Gordon Mobley Futurity Final      8:54pm EST

Race 8                  Bradford Stakes                        9:21pm EST

Los Alamitos TB

Race 8                  Los Alamitos Derby                   8:42pm EST

Monmouth Park

Race 11               Elkwood Stakes                        5:52pm EST

Oak Tree at Pleasanton

Race 9                  Juan Gonzalez Memorial             8:35pm EST

Parx

Race 8                  Dr. James Penny Memorial          4:04pm EST

Woodbine

Race 6                  Charlie Barley Stakes                 3:26pm EST

Race 8                  Achievement Stakes                    4:25pm EST

 

 

 

 

 

 

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