Handicappers can celebrate the Fourth of July in style this year at Belmont with this stacked Saturday card. Every stakes race later in the day has its own narrative playing into season championships, and the names should become pretty familiar as this star-studded card progresses.
Belmont Analysis: Friday, July 3, 2020
Tomorrow’s card at Belmont is the one most worth playing, but this is a fairly inoffensive card for hardcore handicappers to peruse on a long holiday weekend.
For many years now, July 3 has been a designated Belmont day on my calendar, and a fun one at that. Today, one of my friends and handicapping mentors celebrates his birthday, and like so many that read this blog, his idea of the perfect day is one spent playing the horses with his friends and family in the backyard at Belmont. Unfortunately, we’re unable to celebrate this year as we usually do, but if he’s watching at home, I’d like to wish him luck. Hopefully there are some jazzy selections that get him jumping, today and for many years hereafter. Let’s take a look at the card.
Belmont Analysis: Thursday, July 2, 2020
This card starts off like a typical Thursday card, but there are some races later in the day that I actually look forward to watching. This is the beginning of a very exciting holiday weekend at the races.
Belmont Analysis: Sunday, June 28, 2020
Usually, I write these introductions after I do all of my analysis. However, following the beating I’ve just taken on the Saturday card, I need to write before I begin handicapping, as a way to calm down.
Churchill Downs Stakes Analysis: Saturday, June 27, 2020
There’s great racing around the country this weekend, with Churchill Downs and Belmont offering some excellent contests to compete for the public’s attention. As a result, I’ve decided to provide analysis for the four stakes races at Churchill in addition to my usual Belmont coverage. I ‘m looking at these races anyway, so I might as well share my thoughts.
Belmont Analysis: Saturday, June 27, 2020
This is an excellent Belmont card, with four graded stakes races making up for lost time during the early days of the pandemic. However, heavy rain is in the forecast all day in Elmont, and I’ve had to create contingencies in certain turf races that may get rained off. This shouldn’t affect the two turf stakes though, which include some of the best horses in the country.
Belmont Analysis: Friday, June 26, 2020
This is an uneventful day of racing at Belmont, but the feature may just make the whole day worthwhile.
Belmont Analysis: Thursday, June 25, 2020
Thursdays are typically a slow day at Belmont. However, there’s no such thing as a bad day at the track, and some wide open races followed by an exciting feature may attract bettors and sportsmen alike.
Can Gamine Beat the Law?
This past weekend, in a world desperately wandering from distraction to distraction in a particularly dark time, Belmont Park provided, as it always does for those in need. However, as the day came to a close, only two horses remained on the minds of many as they begrudgingly flipped the channel back to the news.
Before the tenth race, all six NYRA handicappers selected three-year-old colt Tiz the Law to win the Belmont Stakes. At 4-5, he entered as one of the heaviest Belmont favorites of the decade, tied with California Chrome and Justify while only entering the gate five cents behind American Pharoah. All three of them were contending for the Triple Crown, while he was merely entering the first leg. There was a world of expectations for him, but he lived up to the hype.
Trip Notes: Breaking Down the 2020 Belmont Stakes
Watching a race live is often a one-sided activity. In this year’s Belmont Stakes, it’s very likely that spectators are watching two horses: Tiz the Law and the runner they picked to beat him. However, as the Triple Crown progresses, it’s important to get to know all of these runners and how their trip in the Belmont Stakes affected their performance.