Weekend Stakes Races – $300,000 Grade I Jamaica

Race-day: 10/10/2009

Race-time: Jamaica at 2:35 pm EST

If BetOnline online racebook fans felt that last Saturday’s card at Belmont was good, with five Grade I races, they might feel that this Saturday’s Belmont Park card is great.

Even though there are only three Grade I races on the card at Belmont Park this Saturday, the fields are much deeper and much tougher than they were in the Grade I’s from last Saturday.

Belmont Park will run the Grade I Jamaica.

Belmont Park – Race 4

Grade I Jamaica Handicap

$300,000

For Three Year Olds

1 1/8 miles on the inner turf

Take The Points figures to be ultra-tough to beat in this race as he doesn’t face the type of competition he dealt with in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park. Edgar Prado returns to ride the colt trained by Todd Pletcher and if it stays dry, then Take The Points figures to be almost impossible to run down once he takes the lead over Straight Story and Courageous Cat. Courageous Cat, the 2 to 1 morning line favorite, has won three in a row, keeps Kent Desormeaux, who rode Take The Points to his Secretariat score, and figures to get a nice trip behind Straight Story. Cat is a New York specialist having won all three races in the state and, if Straight Story doesn’t push the pace, could end up with very little to do in the lane to secure a score. Grassy is the long shot play. The son of El Prado trained by Christophe Clement has a ton of upside after winning his last two races, his maiden score and a victory in an allowance. If Clement has gotten him to improve, he could pull a surprise. That’s especially true if Take The Points, Courageous Cat and Straight Story go after each other early.

1. Take the Points
2. Courageous Cat
3. Grassy