Saturday's card sees a total of 9 Graded Stakes races culminating in the Belmont Stakes.
Starting off with the True North Gr 2 over 1100m with 7 runners and the "no lasix 48 hours prior" rule applying. Gin Pilot is the even money favourite for Asmussen- C Torres with next best Accretive on 5/1 for Brown – I Ortiz.
The Poker is Gr 2 over 1600m turf with a field of 8 headed by Casa Creed on 9/5 for Mott-Saez. Cash Spackler is 2/1 for Brown-Gaffalione and Talk of the Nation 7/2 for Pletcher- I Ortiz.
The Suburban Gr 2 is over 2000m and has 8 starters headed by Bendoog on 2/1 for Mott-Lezcano. We don't know much about this horse so we will go for Charge It 5/2 for Pletcher-Velazquez and then there is Crupi on 3/1 the stablemate with I Ortiz on board.
The Ogden Phipps is the first of the Gr 1s and is over 1800m for f&m with a field of 6. Idiomatic is the 3/5 favourite for Cox-Geroux with Raging Sea on 9/2 for Brown-Prat.
The Woody Stephens is over 1400m for the 3yos and 12 of them will line up. Baffert's Prince of Monaco, a Speightstown colt is on 7/2 with Prat riding then Book'em Danno is on 9/2 for D S Ryan and I Ortiz. There are 3 runners on 6/1 but we will go for Nash, a Medaglia d'Oro product with Geroux riding for Cox.
The Jaipur is obviously a popular race as it has a full field of 12 plus 4 emergencies. It's over 1100m turf and the market has Cogburn on top on 2/1 for Asmussen- I Ortiz. Arzak is on 9/2 for Trombetta- J Torres, Star of Mystery 6/1 for Appleby-Prat. And then we have a rough roughie – Irish bred No Nay Mais is by No Nay Never and is 30/1 for Peter Gulvas and the jockey is none other than Frankie Dettori.
The Hill and Dale Metropolita is over 1600m with 6 runners and it looks like it will be a very close contest between White Abarrio 6/5 representing the East Coast and National Treasure 8/5 representing the West Coast.
The Manhattan Stakes is over 1900m turf with 9 runners. Program Trading is racing well and comes in on 5/2 for Brown-Prat over Measured Time, a Godolphin runner with Appleby-Buick and the stablemate Nation's Pride on 9/2 with Dettori the jockey. On the same quote we have I'm Very Busy – a great name – for Brown-Ortiz.
And then we come to the Belmont itself. No triple crown this time but we do have the winners of the first two legs in Mystic Dan who is 5/1 with Brian Hernandez who has ridden him in all three legs in the irons and Seize The Grey with Jaime Torres riding for D Wayne Lukas on 8/1.
Mindframe is actually the second favourite here with the son of Constitution having won his first two starts by a combined margin of 21 ¼ lengths. He's won on this track too and is trained by Todd Pletcher who will leg up I Ortiz.
Sierra Leone is the favourite on 9/5 with the son of Gun Runner getting a new bit and a new jockey here – Flavian Prat to ride. There are some arguments against him and 9/5 is a bit short but he's a beautiful looking horse with a lovely action and Chad Brown thinks the world of him which is good enough for us. . He was second (arguably unlucky) in the first two legs and surely the gods will smile on him this time.
Our roughie here isn't the roughest but at 15/1 could be value and that is The Wine Steward, a son of Vino Rosso whom we loved dearly (the horse and the tipple). He's with Mike Maker and Manny Franco has the ride
Chad Brown comes from a town very close to Saratoga so there should be a large supporters' gallery there for him.
