Belmont Park Picks & Analysis for June 6
Belmont Park is back in action on Sunday following an action-packed program on Saturday featuring the G1 Belmont Stakes. Our in-house handicapper is back at it, as well, with picks for the whole card and analysis of his strongest opinions throughout the day.
If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country on Sunday, be sure to check out our Free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below.
Most Likely Winner: Reed Kan (Race 2) - He does have to deal with a bit of a layoff, but I trust trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci to have Reed Kan ready to go in the day’s second race. Kantarmaci is one of the most underrated trainers on the NYRA circuit, and Reed Kan himself is a textbook example why: he’s simply done a fantastic job with this horse, who fits this level like a glove. If he returns in the same form, which I believe is very likely, he should win this race.
Best Value: Analyze It (Race 8) - Value Proposition and Halladay are serious racehorses, but the former has a real penchant for finding trouble in his races, while the latter may be using this race as a prep for bigger assignments down the road. That leaves Analyze It, once one of the top milers in the country, though that feels like eons ago. I can’t say he’s quite the same horse since returning from a layoff of nearly two years late last year, but he did return a winner at Monmouth Park in the G3 Red Bank with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure and he has an excuse for his 2021 debut as he was forced to run without Lasix and bled during the race. If he can stir the echoes in his second start of the year, his 9-2 morning-line odds would be a gift.
Other Races of Interest: Race 4 - Lady by Choice (#2) fits the template of horses I love to bet. Despite running one of the best last-out races in this field and showing remarkable consistency throughout her career, she’s going to be a massive overlay simply because of who trains her, the low-percentage Lolita Shivmangal. I can understand why bettors might be skeptical of her as she runs back on short rest, however I don’t think Shivmangal is a reason to shy away. At 8-1 on the morning line, she’s no doubt going to offer plenty of value.
Race 5 - There are so few trustworthy options in this maiden claimer, which is why I’m going to take a shot with Count Down (#5) as he makes his first start for trainer David Duggan. I see the move from Michael Matz to Duggan as pretty much a lateral move, but I do think this horse could move way forward as he stretches out in distance and adds blinkers. His last race at six furlongs isn’t as bad as it looks on paper, and prior to that this guy ran really well in a pair of two-turn races at Gulfstream Park against better fields.
*If you're interested in seeing payouts for these races, you can find them on our Results page linked to below*