Belmont Park and Churchill Downs Saturday Racing

Well I've been pretty busy with school and what not starting, but I'm back for a really great Saturday card of racing at the start of the second half of the Belmont Park meet, and now the second day into the second half of the Churchill downs meet. On these cards is a combined 5 graded stakes including 2 Win-and- Your In to the Breeders Cup Juveniles graded stakes. Its gunna be a great day, lets see what we can do. (The Locust Grove Handicap is listed as a Grade 3 in the PP's but I can't find it on Equibase, I've just assumed it will be considered Grade 3.)

Belmont Park

Race 1: 4-7-5-8
Race 2: 5-4-3-1
Race 3: 1-6-2-3
Race 4: 3-5-6-2
Race 5: 5-8-3-1
Race 6: 6-1A-5-1
Race 7: 5-10-7-3
Race 8: 4-1-2-3 Grade 2 250k Bowling Lawn Handicap
Race 9: 2-7-5-1
Race 10: 10-8-12-9

Churchill Downs

Race 1: 1-4-5-6
Race 2: 2-1-6-3
Race 3: 4-1-8-7
Race 4: 4-5-2-7
Race 5: 10-5-3-1
Race 6: 3-1-8-4 Grade 2 150k Pocahontas Stakes
Race 7: 3-9-4-7 Grade 3 150k Iroquois Stakes
Race 8: 3-4-7-5 Grade 3 100k Locust Grove Handicap
Race 9: 3-5-2-1 Grade 2 100k Ack Ack Handicap
Race 10: 9-5-6-8
Race 11: 11-1-12-10

Horses to Watch:

Belmont Race 7: # 5 Holabird (12-1 ML): This promising looking filly is by Dunkirk, who happens to be one of my favourite up and coming sires. She's run a few fairly average works, but her last one impresses me a little bit, her half brother Ampersand a colt by city zip has been less than impressive in his 19 starts but he shows both early speed and closing tactics, he was also able to win in Maiden Special Weight class in the NYRA. Dunkirk also showed both early speed and closing tactics, but in big races he showed a lot of early speed and good stamina, if this filly inherited even a little of his abilities, 12-1 is going to be a huge overlay, especially when the ML favourites look as beatable as these ones do.

Churchill Downs Race 3: #4 Thanks Bro (5-1 ML): Plain and simple, this horse is win shy. The 2010 colt by Brother Derek has started 8 times and placed in them 5 times, all 5 of them in his 7 starts this year. The two times hes has missed the board he just seemed unlucky and tired. He's caught a weak field and the drop from Maiden Special Weight to 50k Maiden Claimer, and if he runs like hes proven he can he should have no trouble breaking his maiden here.

Churchill Downs Race 7: #3 Rise Up (5-1 ML): This colt really isn't all that well bred but he runs like he is, first time out at Presque Isle he finished 2nd in a MSW, next time out, still at Presque Isle, he wins it by 4 and 1/2 lengths. They ship him to Mountaineer to run in the Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes and he wins by just short of 5 lengths. He shows ALOT of early speed, and once he gets to the lead he seems to not like to give it up, and not only does he not like giving it up, he actually likes to try and embarrass the rest of the field. He's making the step up to Graded company and I think he can win the Win and your in Iroquois stakes, Im looking to see this guy on Breeders Cup day.

Churchill Downs Race 8: #3 Magic Hour (6-1 ML): This filly ran huge last time, she placed in the Grade 2 Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park at odds of 27-1. She ran in that race coming off another place finish in the ungraded Iowa Distaff, and before that she won the Wayword Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay. Shes proven she can run big in big races, I can really see her running another huge race here.

Churchill Downs Race 11: #11 Fire Starter (6-1 ML): A 300k Keeneland yearling purchase on top of the 125k sires fee, there are huge expectations on the table for this colt. His works aren't great, but they have not been bad he seems to not like the gate all that much but I expect his experience with them now should make for a better gate time, they've been preparing this horse for this race obviously because he has been working every week since July 15th, he's very well bred, he's in an average field, and he's fresh and ready to go, lets see him run big.

Enjoy the Races, they're going to be fantastic!