There’s a reason they call tomorrow Super Saturday in the world of horse racing. With more big races at Santa Anita and Belmont Park than you could shake a stick at, it’s a smorgasbord for fans and handicappers alike, but perhaps the biggest race of all is the Grade 1, one million dollar Jockey Club Gold Cup. Brimming with both recent and ancient history, the Belmont fall feature can be a career maker for the horse good enough to hit the wire first. Let's take a look at the field from the fence out…
1-Ron the Greek/Lezcano/Mott In five races this year, the strapping son of Full Mandate has kicked in with a strong rally against solid competition each and every time. In fact his 2-1-2-1-2 pattern so far this year would seem to bode will for a bid day on Saturday. The 1 1/4=mile distance over the sweeping turns of Belmont should also be right up his alley. With a stronger early pace, he would be my top pick, as it is; he is narrowly missing out on that spot now.
2-Stay Thirsty/Dominguez/Pletcher I stuck with him in the Woodward, as I thought if he was going to win a big this year it would happen at the Spa, but he simply was not good enough. The rider switch to Dominguez is a positive, but frankly, he just does not look to be as good a horse this year as he was in 2011.
3-Ruler On Ice/Garcia/Breen Throw out the sloppy win in last year’s Belmont Stakes and what are you left with? A decent horse who can still cash some good checks, but expecting him to win the Gold Cup seems to be a stretch.
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