Horse Racing Picks For Saturday’s Card At Belmont Park Part 2

• The 2022 Belmont Stakes will be held on June 11, 2022 at New York’s Belmont Park.
• The entire Saturday card at Belmont Park is downright loaded with a total of 8 Grade 1 stakes races plus the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap.
• First post for the thirteen race card at Belmont Park is 11:20 AM Eastern.

13 races on the card there are 8 Grade 1 stakes races along with the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap. Outside of the two day Breeders’ Cup held annually in November there’s not a single race card in North America that offers as many excellent races as the Belmont Stakes undercard. First post is 11:20 AM Eastern.

Some good news about the weather for Saturday’s Belmont card–they’re now expecting overcast weather but just an 11% chance of precipitation during the day. My guess is the track will be in similar shape to what it was on Friday.

Let’s pull out the NYRA Condition Book and run down the full card for Saturday, June 11, 2022 at Belmont Park. Big schedule of races today so we need two parts to cover the card. You can find the first half of the card here:

HORSE RACING PICKS FOR SATURDAY’S CARD AT BELMONT PARK PART 1

FIFTH RACE–THE 133rd RUNNING OF THE BROOKLYN
GRADE 2–$400,000 USD PURSE

This race was known for years as the ‘Brooklyn Handicap’. It was first run in 1887 at the Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island and called three other tracks home before moving to Belmont Park for good in 1977. The race is for four year olds and up running a mile and a half. Seven horses are entered with Lone Rock a 2-1 favorite. 7 year old Lone Rock won this race last year and has been victorious in 9 of his last 12 starts. Locally Owned has the distinction of beating Lone Rock at this distance, winning the Grand Prix American Jockey Club invitational last September here at Belmont. Lone Rock returned the favor two months later in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Del Mar. Max Player might have the best shot to upset Lone Rock–he’s got more than $1.3 million USD in career earnings and won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga last Summer. Problem is he’s never gone more than a mile and a quarter. His only start this year was a 7th in the G2 Alysheba. Warrant isn’t a bad horse but is untested at this distance. We’ll take a shot with Lone Rock and use him solo in our pick 3.

BET #1 LONE ROCK 2-1 TO WIN

PICK 6 RACES 6-11

SIXTH RACE–THE 38th RUNNING OF THE WOODY STEPHENS STAKES PRESENTED BY MOHEGAN SUN
GRADE 1–$400,000 USD PURSE

Named for the Hall of Fame trainer, The Woody Stephens Stakes is contested by 3-year-olds at a distance of seven furlongs with a purse of $400,000 USD. Six horses are entered with the Chad Brown trained Jack Christopher a 1-2 chalk. Speaking of ‘coronation’, this could likely be one for Jack Christopher. Jack Christopher won the Grade 1 Champagne last year at age 2 and looked to be the presumptive favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Unfortunately, he was sidelined with a shin fracture and trainer Chad Brown gave him some extra time off. That took him out of contention for the Kentucky Derby which leaves him simultaneously one of the most talented horses in his class and ‘lightly raced’. Jack Christopher made his return–and his three year old debut–on the Kentucky Derby undercard winning the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile. He won that race by 3 3/4 lengths earning a 98 Beyer–not quite as good as the 102 he dropped in the Champagne but definitely solid for his return to competition. Can’t really find a horse I’d be willing to try and beat Jack Christopher with. If he runs well here he’ll likely be pointed to the Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 23.

PASS

SEVENTH RACE–THE 54th RUNNING OF THE OGDEN PHIPPS
GRADE 1–$500,000 USD PURSE

Race is named after the late Ogden Phipps, a stockbroker turned racing owner/breeder. He was a founding member of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and was chairman of The Jockey Club for 20 years. The Ogden Phipps was run in mid-June until 2014 when it was moved to the Belmont Stakes undercard. The race is a Grade 1 with a purse of $500,000 USD for fillies and mares four years old and up contested over a mile and a half on a dirt track. This is a ‘Win and You’re In’ event–winner will get an automatic entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Five horses are entered with Letruska a 6-5 morning line favorite. She’s won 9 of 11 starts dating back to December 2020 including five Grade 1s. Trainer Fausto Gutierrez has made it a point to give her a lighter workload this year after her disappointing 10th place finish in the 2021 BC Distaff. After running 8 times in 2021 she’s run only twice this year winning the G3 Royal Delta on February 26 at Gulfstream Park and the G1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Also in the field is 2021 Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat (5-2) and the horse she beat by a head, Search Results (9-2). Bonny South isn’t a bad horse and she’s finished in the money in six of her last seven. The bad news is that in five of those races she was beaten by either Letruska or Malathaat. Should be a good race among five of the best older female horses in the sport but a tough one to bet.

PASS

PICK 4 RACES 8-11

EIGHTH RACE–THE 39th RUNNING OF THE JAIPUR STAKES
GRADE 1–$400,000 USD PURSE

Race is named after Jaipur, the top three year old of 1962. Six furlong sprint on the turf track for horses aged three years old and up. This is another Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event with the winner getting an entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. 13 horses are entered with the Wesley Ward trained Arrest Me Red a 5-2 morning line favorite. The Jaipur has a full field of 13 but it doesn’t have a lot of pure speed. That’s why Arrest Me Red is the horse to beat. Casa Creed has shown speed in his previous outings and is the defending champion in the Jaipur. That was his last win and he’s raced only twice this year, both times in the Middle East. Hard to determine where he’s at. More problematic–he’s a horse that needs to come from off the pace to win. Arrest Me Red is a favorite for a reason and he’ll likely take the race. That’s good for his connections but not good for betting.

PASS

NINTH RACE–THE 129th RUNNING OF THE HILL N DALE METROPOLITAN STAKES
GRADE 1–$1,000,000 USD PURSE

Officially known as ‘The Metropolitan Handicap’, this is a Grade 1 stakes race for horses three years old and up running a mile (8 furlongs) on dirt with a purse of $1 million USD. The ‘Met Mile’ has a long history and was first run at Morris Park in 1891 before moving to Belmont Park in 1904. The Met Mile has been run almost every year since with a stint at Aqueduct in the 1960’s. This race was traditionally run in late May but starting in 2014 has been moved back a week to further bolster the Belmont Stakes undercard. Sponsored by the Hill n Dale Farms breeding farm. Another Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event with the winner getting an entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Five horses entered with the John Sadler trained Flightline is the 3-5 morning line favorite. Flightline will ship in from California and has never raced at Belmont. More concerning–he’s raced just three times in his career and has yet to race as a four year old. His last outing was a win in the G1 Malibu at Santa Anita on December 26, 2021. He’s facing a couple of scary opponents: Speaker’s Corner, winner of three graded stakes events as a four year old and 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Aloha West. Aloha West is coming off a third place finish in the G1 Churchill Downs on May 7. Look for Jose Ortiz to run more off the pace this time which bodes well for his chances. We’ll try to beat Flightline with the aforementioned two horses.

BET #2 SPEAKERS CORNER 8-5 TO WIN
BET #3 ALOHA WEST 6-1 TO WIN

TENTH RACE–THE 120th RUNNING OF THE RESORTS WORLD CASINO MANHATTAN
GRADE 1–$750,000 USD PURSE

Grade 1 race for horses four years old and up running a mile and a quarter on the inner turf track. The Manhattan has traditionally been run immediately before the Belmont Stakes. Sponsored by the Resorts World Casino. Ten horses are entered led by Santin as a 7-2 morning line favorite. We’ll try to beat him with #4 Adhamo (4-1) and #2 Gufo (3-1).

BET #4 ADHAMO 4-1 TO WIN
BET #2 GUFO 3-1 TO WIN

ELEVENTH RACE–THE 154th RUNNING OF THE BELMONT STAKES PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS
GRADE 1–$1,500,000 USD PURSE

The main event of the day. The third leg of the Triple Crown for three year olds running a mile and a half. Wood Memorial winner We The People is the 2-1 morning line favorite. We’ve talked extensively about the entire field in our preview articles. We’ll take the price with 20-1 Skippylongstocking and back Todd Pletcher’s Nest (8-1).

BET #2 SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING 20-1 TO WIN
BET #3 NEST 8-1 TO WIN

TWELFTH RACE–MAIDEN CLAIMER
$55,000 USD PURSE

Maiden claiming race for horses three years old and up. One mile on the turf. Twelve entries, a horse by the name of North Carolina is the 9-5 morning line favorite.

PASS

THIRTEENTH RACE–ALLOWANCE
$80,000 USD PURSE

The day concludes with an allowance race for NY bred filles and mares age three years old and up. Entrants must meet several other conditions:
–have never won $15,000 other than maiden, claiming or starter.
–have never won two races.
Run six furlongs on the inner turf track. Sixteen entries, True Empress is a 7-2 morning line favorite.

PAS