New York-bred stakes top Saturday card at Belmont Park

By the New York Hot List Staff // Friday, June 18, 2021

New York State-breds will be in the spotlight Saturday at Belmont Park with a pair of New York Stallion turf stakes. Both the sixth and ninth races are for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on turf, with the sixth for fillies. The ninth race for colts looms as a good wagering affair with a field of 13.

Here’s the Hot List picks:

$150,000 New York Stallion Series, Belmont Park, Saturday, Race 9.

(2) Dancing Buck ran very well in both of his turf races which gives him an edge in this large field that includes a lot of horses making their first start on the grass. Last out, the Michelle Nevin runner won an allowance sprint against older horses where the third-place runner came back to win his next start. (4) Ocala Dream won a maiden special weight last time out on the turf with a speed figure that is as good as any in this field. He’ll cut back to seven-furlongs but the fractions in his victory were fast. (7) The King Cheek has raced around the Mid-Atlantic region from his Parx base with two wins and a second in his last three starts. Most recently, he was entered to make his turf debut in the Penn Mile (G3) but instead he got the place on a sloppy track. He will be dangerous if he takes to the grass as horses that like wet tracks often do. (8) Market Alert has been racing in stakes since he was a debut winner last year. His regular rider Jose Lezcano excels on the turf and has been winning a lot of races recently. This is another one who will be making his first start on the grass.

Analysis of the other NY Hot List races and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.