Racing in New York is Back With Belmont Park on Saturday

For those of us that wager on New York racing, it has been a long four days.

Racing wrapped up at Saratoga on Monday, and we had to wait until Saturday for the festivities to kick off at Belmont Park.

The Belmont Park Fall Championship meeting is 37 days of top quality racing, featuring 19 graded stakes, many of which will serve as key preps for the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, which are back on conventional dirt this year at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5-6.

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The New York Racing Association announced they would have a guaranteed $300,000 Late Pick 4 each Saturday during the meeting.

The opening day feature today is the $150,000 Bowling Green Handicap (G2), a 1 3/8 miles turf event for three-year-olds and upward with their sights set on making it to the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

The race is the third leg in today’s Late Pick 4.

Here is a breakdown and top two horse racing betting selections for each leg of the Late Pick 4 for Saturday at Belmont Park:

BEL Race 7 Clm $10,000N1Y (4:11 ET)

#13 Spanky Fischbein, #4 Missile Motor

#13 Spanky Fischbein makes his second start off a nine-month layoff while dropping in for a $10K tag. Last out the gelding stalked the early pace, made a good middle move and headed for home with the lead but tired late to finish fourth. The winner Ramsgate came back to beat open $12.5K claimers in his next outing at Saratoga on Sept. 1. The gelding should be tighter second off the bench and this guy showed some talent as a juvenile, winning a NY bred stake and he started his three-year-old campaign with a neck loss in the Count Fleet.

#4 Missile Motor came up short in the stretch when shipping to Penn to take on Alw-2 optional claimers. Two back the seven year old was a close up third versus open $20K foes here, beaten just a half-length for the top spot. He is winless in 10 starts this year, but this look like about a weak a group as he has faced.

BEL Race 8 Alw $40,000N1X (4:43 ET)

#9 Fiddler’s Chaparito, #6 Hear the Footsteps

#9 Fiddler’s Chaparito makes just his second start on turf here after racing in races taken off the turf in his last two starts. Last out the colt pressed the early pace in the slop and weakened to finish fourth in his first go against winners. He caught a main track that was playing to outside stalkers and closers that day. His lone turf try came three back where he set the early fractions and opened up a clear lead heading for home, only to get passed late and settling for third. The colt has three sibs that are turf winners.

#6 Hear the Footsteps is one of two in here sent out by the Rice barn that is 23% winners (with a +ROI) overall in turf sprints. The gelding was a game maiden winner last out in his fourth career start and appears to still have some upside potential.

BEL Race 9 The Bowling Green Hcp G2 (5:15 ET)

#4 Strike a Deal, #3 Al Khali

#4 Strike a Deal is a tough one to figure out and is coming off a sub par effort in a seventh place finish in the Oceanport behind the winner Get Serious, who returned to win the Red Bank (G3) in his next outing on Sept. 5. Two back the six-year-old was a bit rank fighting the jock and faded to finish last in the Man O’ War (G1). When this guy is on his game he is pretty good, taking the Dixie (G2) back in May off a layoff and winning the Red Smith (G2) by seven lengths back in ’08. I like the jock switch here back to Dominguez, who was aboard him when he won the Dixie. This is not a real deep group of Grade 2 foes he faces here and he should be a decent price.

#3 Al Khali headed home with the lead last out in the Sword Dancer (G1) but the final furlong of the 1 ½ miles appeared too much for the four-year-old as he weakened to finish third. The cut back in distance and easier company here should suit this guy. He won the Saranac (G3) last fall at the Spa going 1 3/16 miles on the turf. He gets Leparoux, who may be more patient with him and he may be better sitting back off the pace as he did in his Saranac victory.

BEL Race 10 Md $25,000 (5:47 ET)

#11 High Prize, #10 Real Rooster

#11 High Prize tracked the early pace, battled on in the stretch and could not match strides late with the winner in a runner up finish going a mile. Two back he was beaten just a neck in a runner up finish behind repeat winner Kijo, who beat $25K non-winners of two in his next start on July 17. It appears he has enough tactical speed to handle the cut back to six furlongs here. He has a pair of sibs that have won on grass including stakes winner Shytoe Lafeet ($332K).

#10 Real Rooster came with a five wide rally and was beaten just a nose in a tough beat last out at the Spa. The Dutrow runner earned the top last out speed fig in the effort and Ramon sticks. A logical player here at a short price and is on the light side pedigree wise for the turf.