Weekend Stakes Races – Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and Grade I Jockey Gold Cup

Race-times:  Joe Hirsch at 5:09 pm EST and Jockey Gold Cup at 5:43 pm EST

Belmont Park has their ultimate Breeders Cup race preview day this Saturday as no less than four Grade I races are on the card.  Some of the biggest names in thoroughbred, Summer Bird, Macho Again, Munnings, Gio Ponti, Music Note, etc., will show up at Belmont Park this Saturday for the great day of racing.

Let’s take a look at the co-featured races on Belmont’s Saturday card, the Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and the Grade I Jockey Gold Cup.

Belmont – Race 9

Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

$600,000

For Three Year Olds and Upward

1 ½ miles on turf

The coupled entry of Gio Ponti and Winchester will prove tough to beat but there is absolutely no real speed in this race.  That mean that Presious Passion could be the horse to run them all into the ground.  Presious Passion has done well at this 1 ½ mile distance and Musketeir, even though he’s listed as a front runner, just won’t be able to keep up.  Gate to wire for Presious Passion at nice odds seems plausible.  For second, I’ll throw my money on Grand Coutier who always seems to get good at this time of the year.  He’s also coming off of a victory which means that he’s in good form.  Gio Ponti and Winchester are just too tough to leave out of the Top 3.

1. Presious Passion
2. Grand Goutier
3. Gio Ponti/Winchester

Belmont – Race 10

Grade I Jockey Gold Cup

$750,000

For Three Year Olds and Up

1 ¼ miles on dirt

Quality Road and Summer Bird should resume their rivalry in this race, but Dry Martini looks capable of pulling off the upset.  He’s 2 out of 3 at Belmont which means that he enjoys closing around that long turn and Quality Road and Summer bird figure to ensure a fast pace for him to run at.  Expect Summer Bird to outlast Quality Road again as Bird has turned into an absolute beast on the track.  His lone loss in his last three was to Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell Invitational.  Asiatic Boy is a long shot that could get a Top 3 placing as neither Quality Road nor Macho Again has had real success at this 1 ¼ mile distance.

1. Dry Martini
2. Summer Bird
3. Asiatic Boy