Ricky’s Rockets 🚀: Belmont Park, Keeneland and Santa Anita Picks for October 8, 2021

HAPPY OPENING DAY AT KEENELAND! Ricky’s Rockets 🚀 has been waiting months for the return of racing from Lexington, Kentucky. There is so much to be excited about, as we have stakes action on Friday afternoon to kick off the meet. We were able to bring home the FREE $415.75 Pick 4 and a $977.50 Pick 5 to kick off the week at Belmont on Thursday afternoon! There are two graded-stakes races at Keeneland, with a BRAND NEW $3 Pick Pick 4. This wager will include the final three turf races on the card, adding a new dimension to the already exorbitant amount of wagering options.

Also included below: my 9-race preview of Belmont Park, 10-race preview of Keeneland and 9-race preview of Santa Anita!

Belmont Park October 8, 2021

Race 6: $10,000 Claiming for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt

#3 Regal Quality attracts Irad Ortiz Jr for the second straight race, which means something in my book. Regal Quality also is taking a slight drop in class which should help as well. #5 Kumar ran at this level last time out, and was pretty horrible for the most part. He does have races on his resume that can at least keep him competitive.

Race 7: Starter Allowance for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 7 furlongs on the widener turf

#3 Hohohoho should be on the lead, given her breathtaking speed out of the gate. She has a propensity to give up the lead late, but the cutback in distance should help. #10 Woodbine Way has a ton of early speed, giving her the chance to take this field gate-to-wire. The trainer switch to Horacio DePaz should help as well.

Race 8: Allowance for New York-bred 3-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt

#4 Great Workout needs to show a little more speed out of the gate to be competitive. He tends to give himself too much work to do when the race gets going. #5 Big Castle makes his first start against winners, after winning at close to 11/1 last time out. He looked much better when he returned to the dirt just a few weeks ago.

Race 9: Maiden Special Weight for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles (8 1/2 furlongs) on the inner turf

#5 Russiarussiarussia makes her first start for Chad Brown going two turns on the turf. She has the pedigree to win this race, but this won’t be an easy task. #9 Shigeko is also a first time starter but the pedigree doesn’t nearly stack up to Russiarussiarussia. Similar to a race earlier in the card, a Christophe Clement runner at 8/1 on the turf is too good to pass up.

THE TICKET

$3 Pick 4 (Races 6-9) 3,5 / 3,10 / 4,5 / 5,9 – $48

50¢ Pick 4 (Races 6-9) 3,4,5 / 2,3,4,7,10 / 4,5 / 5,6,9 – $45

My product is now on the Handicapping Products Page! To purchase, click one of the links below to go to the products page. My product includes full card plays, featuring race-by-race analysis, my top four picks for each race, and full-card multi-race wagers. Check it out below:

Ricky’s Rockets: Belmont Park

Ricky’s Rockets: Keeneland

Ricky’s Rockets: Santa Anita