4 Belmont Stakes Day Winners at Saratoga

The third leg of the Triple Crown is upon us. No, there will not be a Triple Crown on the line when eight horses enter the starting gate for Saturday night’s Belmont Stakes, but there are a ton of excellent stakes races on the card at Saratoga.

Eight of the 14 races on the card are Graded Stakes, and they are loaded with talented fields. Sovereignty’s connections were criticized for keeping the thoroughbred out of the Preakness to point toward the Belmont. That same line of thinking applies to the undercard. Many of the best horses in other divisions raced on Derby Day, and are running it back for the first time today. If you find a horse that broke its maiden on Derby Day, it’s probably wise to roll with it here.

I’ve dug through the program to find a few winners for the people to build up that betting bankroll. Prepare to fire away.

Singles in Multi-Race Wagers

You asked for winners. I can’t guarantee that every winner will be at a great price. There are a few horses that look like stone-cold locks. They will be big-time favorites, which is why you should use them in your multi-race wagers, like daily doubles and Pick 3s.

Race 6, Nitrogen — The first stakes race of the day has one of the most dominant horses in this division. Nitrogen has not lost this year, with four straight victories on its resume. Graham Motion has some tempting competition with the undefeated Laurelin, but Jose Ortiz is the best jockey in North America and the best horse in this race.

Race 9, Think Big — Michael Stidham’s horse has won three straight 5.5-furlong sprints, including a Grade 2 and Keeneland and a Grade 2 at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. It has the highest speed figure of its competition and a formidable rider in Ben Curtis. The competition isn’t good enough to keep up with Think Big.

UPDATE: Races 9 and 12 were canceled and moved to Sunday. This upsets me.

A Belmont Stakes Day Upset

Race 8, The Met Mile

You aren’t here to find a bunch of favorites. Some folks will be inclined to single Fierceness in their multi-race wagers. After all, he is a 1-1 morning line favorite. We’re here to beat Fierceness in this highly anticipated race, and we aren’t doing it with the other big name either, White Abarrio.

This exceptional field is full of graded stakes winners. None have dominated their competition as thoroughly as Just a Touch. If you watched Race for the Crown, you might remember the John Stewart horse, who was trained by Brad Cox and failed to win the Blue Grass Stakes. All this horse has done this year is win, win, win. He kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a 10-length win at Fair Grounds, then followed it up with a 7-length win at Keeneland.

It’s a move up in class compared to its competition, but there’s one more thing I must mention: Front-runners are having a week at Saratoga. Speed is killing at this track. Who knows if that will change after Friday afternoon’s rain, but every front-runner is getting an added plus from me and that’s exactly what Just a Touch will be in this race.

Win Bet: Just a Touch

Who wins the Belmont Stakes?

The biggest race of the day has my head spinning. My heart fell in love with Journalism a long time ago. My head can’t trust Umberto Rispoli. To make matters worse, all of the speed is directly inside of this horse. Will Rispoli be patient enough to find the right time to make the move? Does Journalism have enough in the tank for another jaw-dropping Triple Crown performance?

As much as I would love to be dazzled by Journalism, my wallet is telling me to turn my attention elsewhere. Bill Mott will have Sovereignty ready to ride. Junior Alvarado can save ground alongside the rail to make a closing move.

HOWEVER

This is the Graveyard of Champions. We’ve spent all week talking about these two horses. That’s not how Saratoga works.

Speed is killing this week at the track, and that’s one thing Baeza has plenty of. He ran out of gas and was chased down by Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby. This horse has matured over the last two months, and taken a little more time off. Nobody was running faster at the end of the Kentucky Derby, and in that race he had to come around 19 other horses from the outside post. He won’t see as much traffic as he’s running away from the showstoppers to the Winner’s Circle.

Win Bet: Baeza

Want more picks? We’re handicapping the Belmont at Saratoga over on KSBoard. Join KSR+ and get more winners throughout the day. Who knows, maybe we’ll put together a group Pick 5 ticket and all roll in the dough when the day is done.