By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman
The weekend between the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness S. (G1) could be a quiet game in the US equestrian league, but that won’t happen in 2022. Belmont Park has assembled a th card. Seven impressions of five people are graded shares, giving us plenty of quality races to analyze.
Let’s take a look at the classifiers that have classified and determine the top pick in each race:
Strain 3: Vagrancy H. (G3, 6 1/2 long-haired)
When children are three years old in 2021,
#5 Bella Sofia was among the nation’s best female sprinters, crowning devastating victories in Test S. (G1) and Gallant Bloom H. (G2) before finishing fourth (damaged by a speed match) in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).
Bella Sofia’s Gallant Bloom victory comes on the same track and distance as Vagrancy, suggesting she’ll be formidable in her 2022 debut. She’s easily the fastest in the field from a ratings standpoint. Brisnet Speed and trainer Rudy Rodriguez win by 19% with horses coming back from long layoffs, so all signs are that Bella Sofia could head to victory in Saturday.
Race 5: Runhappy S. (G3, six feathers)
#5 Effective may have lost his NYRABETS Spring S. game at the Tampa Bay Downs last time, but his form throughout the winter has been excellent, with a win over Mr. Pros Inspector S. (G3) and Tom Fool H. (G3) are among the highlights.
In Tom Fool at Aqueduct, Officating riots 5 1/2 longer #1 Castle and #3 Repo Rocks. If Officating can replicate that form at Belmont Park, he will be a formidable winning candidate. Chateau is a pure speed athlete, and #6 Mr. Phil also like to set speed, so there should be enough speed to set Officating’s home demonstration.
Race 8: Man o’ War S. (G1, 1 3/8 miles on grass)
European Raiders #3 Yibir could be 0 for 2 this season, but he’s finished second in both of his starts, including an ancient defeat to the rich Dubai Sheema Classic (G1). And based on the strong US form Yibir showed last fall, he will be hard to beat in Man o’ War.
Yibir displayed a clear affinity for the Belmont turf as he kicked off the last to first rally to dominate the $1 million Jockey Club Derby in 2 1/2 lengths. He then went to Del Mar and beat his older opponents in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), creating a powerful surge to reach five lengths in the final match and prevailed. more than half the length.
Coach Charlie Appleby finished 9th to 18th (50%) with North American shippers last year, winning eight Class 1 races along the way. Yibir represents Appleby’s first North American start in 2022, and it should come as no surprise that Appleby has started the season in the US on a steady basis.
Race 9: Peter Pan S. (G3, 1 1/8 mile)
Potential Belmont S. (G1) starters will vie for supremacy in Peter Pan, a one-turn soil test that serves as a local stepping stone to the final leg of the Triple Crown.
There are many possible candidates to support, but we will try to support #2 Calculate electricity. Run by hot coach Chad Brown (a 32% winner at Belmont this spring), Electability is a 2 for 2 on both sides of the road. After using speeding tactics to win the special one-mile girls’ weight class at Aqueduct, Electability settled an optional $80,000 claimant in the same distance and used Identical racing tactics to win by head.
Electability has shown a lot of fights while running fast on the clock, so stepping up in the classroom shouldn’t stretch the limits of his abilities. He has enough speed to sit and stalk a perfect ride #1 Set Sail in a race that doesn’t have a lot of speed on paper, and hot jockey Irad Ortiz (37% winner at Belmont this meet) is picking a mount. The fact that both of Electability’s wins came in single-turn races is another positive.
Race 10: Beaugay S. (G3, 1 1/16 miles on grass)
Assuming Chad Brown wins against Peter Pan, he can get a sorted bet twice as fast thanks to #1 Rougir in Beaugay.
Rougir was an elite driver in France last season, winning a quarter mile Prix de l’Opera (G1) and finishing fourth (beating only one neck) in a Prix Rothschild (G1) mile. She ended her campaign with a tough seventh place in front of the deep in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Beaugay will mark Rougir’s first foray into Brown, who is known for his success in training top female turf horses, especially those imported from Europe. Rougier began an impressive series of workouts on the Payson Park grass, and hot runner Flavien Prat (3v 6 to start the Belmont spring encounter) was named to ride, so Rougir contemplated. will deliver an exciting performance in its 2022 debut.
Now it’s your turn! Which of the classified shares in Belmont Park do you like?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, amputee, and horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers the Zenyatta his all-time favorite.
