NYRA Preview: Belmont 9/28

We are finally here! The best day of fall racing across the country is upon us, and we are little over a month away from the Breeders’ Cup. Belmont Park has some of the best runners in the country running on Saturday: Imperial Hint, Promises Fulfilled, Midnight Bisou, and many more. We wrap up the day with the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Will Tacitus get his revenge over Code of Honor? Or will Preservationist or Vino Rosso have something to say about that? Due to all of the great work that the Racing Dudes team has done over the past week, I’ve decided to give my top pick over my top four horses in my preview.

Belmont Meet Statistics (9/6 through 9/26):

Races	Top 4 Wins	Top 4 Exactas	Top 4 Trifectas	Top 4 Supers
31	24	17	10	4

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Race 2: $62,000 MSW for New York-bred 2-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt

Dermot Magner is one of the best trainers on the NYRA circuit that no one is talking about. He has been in the money 86% of the time (6/7) since the beginning of the fall meet, and on Saturday, he brings #2 Hellbender (5/2) to the track for the first time. Hellbender is a son of Daredevil, who won the Champagne Stakes (G1) back in 2014. Hellbender put forth a monstrous 5-furlong work, going 1:00.04 on September 22, and is my top choice in this field first time out.

Race 2 Picks: 2-7-1-4

Race 5: $75,000 MSW for 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles (8 1/2 furlongs) on the inner turf

There hasn’t been anyone hotter so far at the Belmont Park fall meet than Todd Pletcher. Winning at 31%, he has quickly reminded everyone how great of a trainer he really is. #1 Laughable (7/2) broke very well out of the gate in her debut at Saratoga at the beginning of the month. The opening fractions were very sensible paces with it being her debut, but Sparkling Sky won as the 6/5 favorite while Laughable faded late to fourth. A lot of contenders in this spot are coming out of that same race, but Laughable showed the best early speed, and in a very competitive field, she should be moderately priced with a great opportunity to make the betting public happy.

Ricky’s Picks: 1-5-4-7

Race 6: $75,000 MSW for 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs on the dirt

For anyone who has read my previews since I started on July 31, you know that Into Mischief is one of my favorite stallions. #10 Toledo (3/1) has some of the best pedigree that I’ve seen his year, with Into Mischief as his sire and the Bernardini mare Endless Chat (who won routing on the dirt) as his dam. Chad Brown’s impressive 2-year-olds this year include Structor (running in the Pilgrim Stakes [G3]), Lady Kaza, and Voting Agreement, but Toledo might end up being the best of the bunch.

Ricky’s Picks: 10-1-6-9

Race 11: $75,000 MSW for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 mile on the Widener turf

#8 Border Town (3/1) made his debut over a firm Monmouth Park turf course for the Chad Brown barn back on July 28. After getting out of the gate slowly, Paco Lopez gave him the best trip that he could. He took a brief lead in the stretch but couldn’t hold off Epic Bromance, who won next time out in an allowance event a month later. After a long layoff and two potential races that were scratched off of the turf, Border Town is finally the colt to beat.

Ricky’s Picks: 8-6-7-3

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Good luck to everyone playing and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyP_15 for more NYRA race previews as we take a look at Belmont Park!

If you want further information on the other races for each card at Belmont Park and beyond, you can check the Racing Dudes’ Free Picks page or subscribe to their Premium Selections and get detailed analyses for every race, every card, every track around the country.