Belmont Oaks
The Belmont Oaks is one of three stakes on the final Saturday of the Belmont spring/summer meet, including the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational, first leg of the Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares.
Inaugurated in 2019, the Turf Triple series for fillies begins with Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile (2,000 meters) test on the Belmont inner turf. The series continues at Saratoga Race Course on August 8 with the $700,000 Saratoga Oaks, held at 1 3/16-miles (1,900 meters) on the Saratoga lawn; and concludes with the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks at 1 3/8-miles (2,200 meters) on the Belmont turf on September 18. – Paulick Report
Race Information:
- Track: Belmont Park (Elmont, New York)
- Event Grade: I
- Race: 7
- Post Time: 4:06 PM ET
- Length: 1 1/4 Miles
- Purse: $700,000
- Division: Fillies| 3 Year Old
- Surface: Inner Turf
Field:
- Con Lima, Flavien Prat (10-1)
- Cirona, Jose Lezcano (9-1)
- Higher Truth, Jose Ortiz (9-1)
- Spanish Loveaffair, Tyler Gaffalione (16-1)
- Santa Barbara, Ryan Moore (20-27)
- Nazuna, John Velazquez (16-1)
- Plum Ali, Joel Rosario (6-1)
- Gam’s Mission, Adam Beschizza (10-1)
Betting Preview:
CON LIMA enters the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks with two Grade 3 Stakes wins to her resume (Wonder Again Stakes & Herecomesthebride Stakes). Back in March she finished fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. In 2021 she seems to be in great form winning four of her six starts. PLUM ALI took second to CON LIMA back in Wonder Again Stakes and looks for redemption here. She won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes back in 2020 but has yet to find the winners circle in 2021. The good news for PLUM ALI is that her speed figures have been improving which bodes well for her here. SANTA BARBARA also enters this race winless in 2021 but coming off a second place finish in the Grade 1 Al Wasmiyah Stud Pretty Polly Stakes overseas. This will be her first race on American soil. SPANISH LOVEAFFAIR is another contender here running her best speed figure last race in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes where she placed second to GAM’S MISSION. SPANISH LOVEAFFAIR has failed to win any of the stakes races she’s entered. GAM’S MISSION enters this race a winner of her last three. She took a step in class in her last race and was able to come out on top, let’s see if she can do it again here. CIRONA ships in from France for this race coming off two Grade 1 losses. She has the most experience out of any horse in these Grade 1 races so we’ll see if she can put that to use and have better luck in the States.
Picks:
WIN: 2, 7
EXACTA: 2, 3, 7/ 5
Belmont Derby
The Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds drew an international field of nine. Seven American runners and two from Europe will race 1 1/4 miles on the Belmont Park inner turf course on Saturday.
In 1994, the Jamaica Stakes was moved to the grass and was run at a distance of 1 1/8 mile. That race was renamed as the Belmont Derby in 2014, moved to the 10-furlong distance and then became the first leg of the Turf Trinity series in New York in 2019. – Horse Racing Nation
Race Information:
- Track: Belmont Park (Elmont, New York)
- Event Grade: I
- Race: 9
- Post Time: 5:12 PM ET
- Length: 1 1/4 Miles
- Purse: $1,000,000
- Division: Colts| 3 Year Old
- Surface: Inner Turf
Field:
- Palazzi, Tyler Gaffalione (8-1)
- Bolshoi Ballet, Ryan Moore (5-2)
- Safe Conduct, Jose Lezcano (20-1)
- Sainthood, Joel Rosario (6-1)
- Du Jour, Flavien Prat (4-1)
- Hard Love, Manuel Franco (6-1)
- Tokyo Gold, John Velazquez (8-1)
- Cellist, Julien Leparoux (5-1)
- Hidden Enemy, Luis Saez (20-1)
Betting Preview:
In an international field where we have 3 year old’s who are looking for their first Grade I win. BOLSHOI BALLET, who finished seventh as the favorite last out in the Group 1 Epsom Derby, will look to give O’Brien a second triumph in the Belmont Derby. BOLSHOI BALLET has run all six of his previous races on turf however, this American turf is slightly different which will provide a new experience for him. DU JOUR comes into this race in great form winning his last three races including the G2 American Turf. He’s the only horse in this field to have a Grade 2 win under his belt. Another horse in great form is CELLIST. He won his last race at Churchill Downs in the Audubon. HARD LOVE is anther contender that comes into this race winning three out of four career starts. SAINTHOOD enters the Belmont Derby off a Grade 3 win in the Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont back on May 29th. He raced earlier this year in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby where he would finish 11th. SAINTHOOD moves back on the turf where’s he performed better. PALAZZI has had the most starts out of any of the horses in the field. He won the Texas Turf Mile back on January 31 of this year. His most recent races include a 2nd place finish in the Grade 3 Transylvania and a fifth place finish in the Grade 2 American Turf (DU JOUR winner).
Picks:
WIN: 5, 6
TRIFECTA: 5, 6/ 2 / 5, 6, 7, 8, 4
