Top Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, June 11, 2022

The only track we’re visiting for my Saturday horse racing picks this week is Belmont Park—where (in case you hadn’t heard) they’re running the third jewel of the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing, the Belmont Stakes.

And that’s not all. Along with the 154^th Belmont Stakes (race eleven), Belmont has eight more stakes races on the card—and I have winners picked in all of them.

Before you head on down to the good parts, be sure to check out the full race card at Belmont Park at one of our horse race betting sites.

Good luck!

This is a $500,000 purse, one-mile dirt track run for three-year-old fillies. I’m not as impressed with Echo Zulu’s performance as the morning-line appears to be, so I’m backing the second-favored entry (at 6/5) in this short field of five— Matareya, ridden by Flavien Prat.

This bay filly finished in the money six of her seven career starts, winning four. Better still, she’s won all three of her 2022 races, including the Beaumont Stakes (Grade III) at Keeneland in April and the Eight Belles Stakes (Grade II) at Churchill Downs just last month.

Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup veteran Brad H. Cox trains Matareya for owner-breeder Godolphin, LLC.

Incidentally, you may want to buy a value show ticket on the 20/1 longshot in this race: Inventing, piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Trained by Todd A. Pletcher for owners Repole Stable and Woodford Racing, LLC, Inventing has yet to break her maiden, but she’s posted some good speed figures for her first two attempts.

This is a $500,000 purse, one-mile run on the turf course for fillies and mares four years old and upward. My money’s on the second-favorite (at 6/5)—Regal Glory, with Jose L. Ortiz in the irons.

Compared to the rest of this five-horse field, this six-year-old mare has the best of it: 15 money finishes in 18 career starts, eleven of them wins.

That includes her last three runs—the Matriarch Stakes (Grade I) at Del Mar last November, the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (Grade III) at Gulfstream Park in January, and the Jenny Wiley Stakes (Grade I) at Keeneland in April.

Chad C. Brown—who trains the top three prospects in this race—handles Regal Glory for owner Peter M. Brant.

This is a $400,000 purse, 1-1/2 miles dirt track run for four-year-olds and upward. I’m betting my two dollars on one of the second-favored entries (there are two horses at 3/1 in this race): Fearless, with Luis Saez aboard.

This six-year-old bay gelding finished 13 of his 15 career starts in the money, winning six. Those wins include the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (Grade III) last December, and the Ghostzapper Stakes (Grade III) in April—both at Gulfstream Park.

Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Famer Todd A. Pletcher trains Fearless for Repole Stable.

This is a $400,000 purse, seven-furlong dirt track run for three-year-olds. I see no reason to disagree with the morning line for this race, so my bet’s on the 1/2 favorite, Jack Christopher, piloted by Jose L. Ortiz.

This chestnut colt won all three of his career starts, starting with his initial maiden attempt last August, then moving on the Champagne Stakes (Grade I) in October here at Belmont Park, then on to the Pat Day Mile Stakes (Grade II) at Churchill Downs last month.

Chad C. Brown trains Jack Christopher for owners Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter M. Brant.

This is a $500,000 purse, 1-1/16 miles dirt track run for fillies and mares four years old and upward. This may be one of the tightest races of the day, but I’m still betting on the 6/5 morning-line favorite, Letruska, ridden by Jose L. Ortiz.

For the record, the six-year-old bay mare moneyed 21 of her 25 career starts, winning 19. Will she win this race? I wouldn’t bet against her.

Already a legendary trainer in Mexico, Fausto Gutierrez trains Letruska for owner-breeder St. George Stable LLC.

This is the $400,000 purse, six -furlong run on the turf course for three-year-olds and upward. I like the 5/2 favorite, Arrest Me Red, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

This four-year-old colt finished in the money seven of his nine career starts, winning six. Those wins include the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational Stakes (Grade III) last October, the Turf Sprint Championship Stakes (Listed) at Aqueduct in November, and the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes (Grade II) just last month at Churchill Downs.          

Longtime Breeders’ Cup veteran Wesley A. Ward trains Arrest Me Red for Lael Stables.

This is a $1,000,000 purse, one-mile takes race on the dirt track for three-year-olds and upward. I’m betting on the second-favored (at 8/5) Speaker’s Corner, with Junior Alvarado in the irons.

This four-year-old bay colt finished in the money eight of his nine career starts, winning six. His three most recent races all resulted in wins, including the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (Grade III) at Gulfstream in January, the Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (Grade II) in March, and the Carter Handicap (Grade I) at Aqueduct in April.

Hall of Famer and longtime horse racing veteran William I. Mott trains Speaker’s Corner for owner-breeder Godolphin, LLC.

Incidentally, I know that 50/1 longshot—Informative—looks juicy, but resist the temptation.

Race ten — Manhattan Stakes (Grade I)

This is a $750,000 purse, 1-1/4 miles turf course run for four-year-olds and upward. I’m betting on the 3/1 morning-line favorite: Gufo, piloted by Joel Rosario.

For the record, Gufo moneyed 15 of his 16 career starts, winning eight, including the Pan American Stakes (Grade II) at Gulfstream in April.

Thirty-year horse racing veteran Christophe Clement trains Gufo for Otter Bend Stables, LLC.

This is a $1,500,000 purse, 1-1/2 miles dirt track race for three-year-olds. I’m sticking by my guns and buying a win ticket on the same horse I’ve been touting for weeks—the 7/2 (third-favored) Rich Strike, ridden by Sonny Leon.

Rich Strike surprised everybody earlier this year by winning the Kentucky Derby at the second-longest odds ever in the Derby’s 148 years—80/1.

And I’m not betting the favorite (at 2/1) We the People. Despite his gobsmacking ten-length win in the Peter Pan Stakes (Grade III), he performed quite poorly (7^th place) in the more predictive Arkansas Derby (Grade I).

By the way: If you want to fill your place and show slots, then go with Mo Donegal to place, and Nest—the lone filly in this race—to show.

Longtime horse racing veteran Eric R. Reed trains Rich Strike for RED TR-Racing, LLC.

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