Belmont Horse Racing Picks for Wednesday 6/3/20
With most of the sports world on pause, it's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 1:15 p.m. EST, we have 10 races at Belmont Park. Using our projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.
As always, keep an eye out for scratches and changes.
(I will be reference Equibase's Speed Figure, in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions).
New York becomes the last major circuit to resume live racing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic when the abbreviated 25-day meet begins June 3 following an 11-week shutdown. A total of 40 stakes races includes 22 graded stakes and at least one stakes race is run each day of the meet.
Prisoner, Race 3
FD Racing Odds: 2/1
A Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-olds and numberFire is not high on the prohibitive favorite Fauci (4-5), who is named after the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci, a son of Malibu Moon, will try to practice some physical distancing in this 5 furlong sprint, but numberFire projects a third place finish in his debut despite strong works.
The pick by numberFire is Garoppolo (9/2) on the rail with top jock Jose Ortiz looking to get her to the front quickly in this 5 furlong sprint. Garoppolo is named for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Prisoner (2/1) is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. He’s half-brother to six winners and Pletcher has him working very well for his debut. The second choice of numberFire projections gets the call in a short field of six.
Srongerthanuknow, Race 5
FD Racing Odds: 5/2
Race 5 completes the opening 50-cent Pick 5 where 12 state-bred fillies and mares sprint 6 furlongs on the Inner Turf. FanDuel Racing has Strongerthanuknow (5/2) hitting the board and finishing second with a 29% chance to win. She was runner-up after pressing the pace into fast fractions last September at Belmont and now makes her 2020 debut.
Saratoga Love (5/1) gets first time Lasix in her third start and should get towards the front for jockey Joel Rosario and needs a clean break from Post 10. FanDuel Racing projects a 17% chance to win, but a better chance for Mani Pedi (9/2), who needs to be light on her hoofs and better than her breezing works for trainer Chad Brown in debut.
Rushing Fall, Race 9
FD Racing Odds: 6/5
The $100,000 Beaugay Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares on the inner turf is the featured race. Chad Brown-trained Rushing Fall (6/5) and newly-named Mark Casse’s Got Stormy (7/5) will take most the wagering action in a compact field of six going 1 1/16 miles.
Rushing Fall has been off since October when she finished fourth in a Grade 1 event for her only out-of-the money finish in 11 starts. She owns eight wins including Grade 1 victories at ages 2, 3 and 4. The front-running Rushing Fall has beaten Got Stormy twice, and Rushing Fall posted Equibase figures of 108 or higher in all four of her Grade 1 races last year. Got Stormy has yet to finish top-2 in four starts at this distance.
FanDuel Racing projects a two-horse race and picks the favorite Rushing Fall to win and a 45% chance to be in the winners circle. The Irish-bred mare Xenobia (10/1) is the biggest early-pace threat to the front-running favorite, and Xenobia has won 5 times in 14 starts, including the Athena Stakes (G3) over Belmont’s inner turf last October with a 103 Equibase speed figure.
