Ricky’s Rockets ?: Belmont Park Picks for July 11, 2020

The bad news is that this is the final Saturday of the meet at Belmont Park. The good news is that Monomoy Girl returns here for the first time since she won the Acorn Stakes (G1) back in 2018. She is must-see TV and should dominate the Ruffian Stakes (G2).

The early Pick 5 sequence looks quite chalky, so I will be playing my cheapest ticket of the meet.

Best of luck!

Race 1: Maiden Special Weight for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt

#2 Classic Colors comes into this race off the back of an impressive morning work on July 3 at Belmont. She has fantastic breeding, by Street Sense and Tale of the Cat, and Christophe Clement is wins 24% with first-timers in the last 365 days. #3 Highway Queen ships north for her track debut under Steve Klesaris’ watch. She has been training at Delaware Park and has looked impressive doing so. With Luis Cardenas aboard, she is one to watch. #6 Shesadirtydancer is one of a couple runners with past experience under her belt. The addition of blinkers in her second start makes her much more dangerous this time around.

Race 2: $20k Claiming for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt

#2 Radiantrithym is one of the coolest horses around. She has 57 career starts and has finished in the money in 36 of those. She’s as consistent as they come and has a great chance to get to the winner’s circle for the first time since June 28, 2019. #6 Mo Flash certainly didn’t look herself off of the layoff last time out for Chris Englehart. She was pinched at the start out of the gate and never put her best foot forward. A slight drop in class and a recent race under her belt makes her a logical choice as well.

Race 3: $16k Claiming for 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt

#1 Waynes Footsteps ran a winning race in his last start back in February. He might need a start to run his best, but he will show speed from the rail. #5 Larceny might have the perfect pace setup to close late. There’s a ton of speed signed on and he’s one of the better closers. He needs a quick pace up front early, but everything on paper points to that happening for the 4-year-old by Tale of the Cat. #6 Cobble Hill faces winners for the first time after winning at the $20k maiden claiming level. This is a logical next step for him as he looks to make it 2 in a row.

Race 4: Ruffian Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares for 4-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt

#5 Monomoy Girl is the most obvious single ever. She passed her first 2020 test with flying colors and should have no issue beating this field. I can go on and on about her, but the only question is how many lengths will she win by?

Race 5: Allowance for 3-year-olds and upward going 7 furlongs on the outer turf

#10 Honey Won’t just missed the winner’s circle by a neck last time out on June 13. This is a step up for the 4-year-old, but her closing style should play well in this spot. Unlike Honey Won’t, #11 Quarky will go right to the lead and look to hold on late. The concern is that he doesn’t like to win (13-2-5-2 record), but the talent is tough to overlook. Jose Lezcano should be able to get the best out of him, and the outside post position is a major help. #12 Duress is one of the tougher horses to get a grasp of. He makes his first start since last November but gets Florent Geroux to ride. Geroux wouldn’t be on him if he didn’t like his chances. That move alone is a positive.

THE TICKET

50¢ PICK 5 (Races 1-5) 2,3,6 / 2,6 / 1,5,6 / 5 / 10,11,12 – $27