Happy Belmont Gold Cup Day!

The Belmont racing festival heats up with three graded stakes headlined by the Grade II Belmont Gold Cup, which is a two mile, four turn race on the inner turf.

Trivia Question: What is the longest graded turf stakes race in North America?

Race 3 – The Pennine Ridge – Grade III

One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Inner Turf For Three Year Olds

1. Bottas: Won the first two races of his career last Fall including the Pilgrim (81 Beyer) which led to a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf where he had no impact (73 Beyer). He can win with an improvement in his first start as a three year old. Will be coming late. Hits the board.
2. Chips and Fish: Moved to the turf off the claim and looked better finishing third and then won a maiden claimer as he went wire to wire (71 Beyer) while under pressure the whole way. Comes back three weeks off that win. Lasix OFF. Water gets very deep today.
3. Time for America: Broke his maiden sprinting on the dirt at Laurel and then moved to the turf in the Transylvania was a decent fifth (78 Beyer). Dropped into high end optional claimers next out and had similar performance – decent, but not good enough. Lasix OFF. Passing.
4. Noble Dynasty: Last out at Keeneland he made a nice sweeping move on the turn to circle the field and took aim at the leader but couldn’t get there (80 Beyer). Nice turn of foot. Lasix OFF. Small piece.
5. Blackmail: Won the Woodhaven with an inside move and held off the favorite (85 Beyer). Two back he was DQed for an incident on the first turn. Castellano stays aboard. Gimmicks.
6. Bringing It Back: Just missed in the ungraded Cutler Bay (80 Beyer) and then was up against it in the Grade 1 American Turf (84 Beyer) where he finished up the track. Look for a stalking trip today. Lean against.
7. Asked and Answered: Maiden finished fifth in his first turf race where he was seven lengths behind Glavine (71 Beyer). Only has two career races. Lasix OFF. Hard to see.
8. Glavine: Looked great in his second career start as he broke his maiden by pressing the pace and then getting clear to hold off a 1/2 favorite (86 Beyer). Lasix OFF. Faces winners for the first time. Win candidate.
9. West End Kid: $350k Twirling Candy colt broke his maiden in second start going two turns at Keeneland (84 Beyer) and then came right back and won an N1X affair at Churchill (85 Beyer). In both efforts he was just off the leader early then moved to take over and held sway. Lasix OFF. The Pick.
10. Talk to Me Jimmy: (MTO) Won the Withers on the front end and the pressed the pace in the Wood but faded. In the Peter Pan he was caught by Growth Equity after leading (91 Beyer).

Picks 9-8-1-5 

Race 10 – The Belmont Gold Cup  – Grade II

Two Miles on the Inner Turf for Four Year Olds and Upward

1. Flashiest: Ships in off a second place in the Charlie Whittingham where he was outrun late (93 Beyer). Tried to wire the field in the mile and a half San Luis Rey but finished second (95 Beyer). Small slice.
2. Navy Seal: Irish bred offspring of Dubawi comes here after a distant third in the Elkhorn Stakes where he was in position but Burham Square blew that field away (88 Beyer). Only two works since the Elkhorn which was seven weeks ago. Passing.
3. Tawny Port: In his first start of 2026 in the Elkhorn he came from the back to pick up fourth. Finished second going two miles at Kentucky Downs last August. Best recent effort was in the Canadian International at Woodbine where earned a 100 Beyer with Lasix. Should be sharper in his second start of the year and Prat is in the irons. Should like all of this ground. Hits the board.
4. Miztertonic: Keri Brion trainee dives into stakes action for the first time after competing in allowance races while running Beyers in the mid-80s. Last win was versus state bred N1X company last summer over this track (79 Beyer). Lasix OFF. Maybe in exotics.
5. Worthington: Has not won a race since November 2022. Runs off a seven month layoff today as his last effort was in October at Far Hills where he hit the board in a two mile turf race at 39-1 as he finished behind Fleetfoot. Hasn’t posted an 80+ Beyer in two plus years. Water is too deep.
6. Concord Green: Tried to go wire to wire at Gulfstream in April going a mile and a half but was caught in the stretch and hung on for second (89 Beyer). Two back he won an optional claimer at Gulfstream in March going a mile and a half where he stalked and outdueled the leader (83 Beyer). Lasix OFF. Gets the acid test today.
7. Corruption: In the Pan American he was collared late by Far Bridge (for the second year in a row) and earned a 97 Beyer. Most recently in the Turf Classic at Churchill he stalked and got up for third but wasn’t close (96 Beyer) – she wants longer than nine furlongs. There are no Far Bridges in here today to run him down. The Pick.
8. Fleetfoot: This is his third race in seven weeks and he runs back in just ten days after winning a two mile restricted allowance race at Fair Hill in Maryland. That followed a third place finish in a maiden race going over the fences at Great Meadow. Was a no-show in the Elkhorn after being steadied – but has won twice at two miles. Gimmicks at a price.
9. Parchment Party (MTO): Won this race last year when it was moved to the dirt. Has two dirt wins this year – the Temperance Hill (94 Beyer) and the Issac Murphy Marathon (94 Beyer) both at a mile and a half. Won the mile and three quarters Birdstone Stakes last summer. Dirt pick.

Picks 7-3-1-8 

Trivia Answer: The Belmont Gold Cup and the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (contested at Gulfstream – not the NYRA version) are both contested at two miles on the turf.