Just a Game Stakes 2021 Entries & Post Positions

The $500,000 Grade I Just a Game Stakes has attracted a field of 12 - with seven of the entries either coming in for just this race or having relocated to the US from foreign shores.

Our editor has an overview of the runners ahead of the handicapping efforts from our team later in the week…

With a record of having never failed to hit the board in her 13 starts in the States - it should come as no surprise that the Chad Brown trained Blowout is your 4-1 Morning Line favorite in what should be a wide open race. With a record of four wins, seven second places and two third place finishes in her career - the daughter of Dansili is likely to be there or thereabouts at the pointy end of the race.

Chad Brown has three other runners in the race as well - all three of whom are considered real shots to win. Tamahere followed Juliet Foxtrot home in the Jenny Wiley down at Keeneland in April. She also won her States debut last October by winning the Grade II Sands Point here at Belmont. Rated as a 6-1 shot on the Morning Line.

At 8-1, Regal Glory can’t be ignored either. She’s two from her last two including a win at the Kentucky Downs festival last September where she took out the Ladies Turf. This daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom has plenty of good wins on her resume so has to be accounted for when handicapping the race.

Pocket Square (5-1) won her US debut in April when she took out an allowance race at Keeneland. Before that she had a win in France before finishing sixth in a race in England over 1m 5/16. A mile looks very much her best distance.

Away from the Chad Brown stable, British trainer Charlie Appleby has sent over two Godolphin owned horses across the pond. He won’t get to see Rebel’s Romance in the Belmont alas due to injury but both Summer Romance (6-1) and Althiqa (8-1) are real live shots. The former won last time out in Meydan with the latter being third in the same race.

The Brendan Walsh trained Zofelle (8-1) is a horse well known to Horse bettors as she’s bounced around in some of the bigger turf races throughout 2020 and so far in 2021. Only once in those outings however has she won. That victory came down at Gulfstream in the Grade III Marshua’s River in January. Since then she was beaten by Got Stormy in the Honey Fox before finishing third behind Blowout and New York Girl in the Distaff Turf Mile. All three of the horses that beat her in those two races are racing in this one.

Speaking of New York Girl (15-1) - this Bill Mott trained horse has shown real improvement in her four-year-old season having hit the board in all three of her runs. She was relocated to the US from Ireland at the end of 2020 where she struggled in races over on the Emerald Isle but a record of 1-2-3-2 in her four US based starts is pretty decent.

Always Shopping, Daddy Is a Legend and Sweet Bye and Bye round out the field of 12.

Here at HorseRacing.net we'll have comprehensive coverage of the action at Belmont Park throughout the week and on Belmont Stakes day itself. Our in-house handicapper will be handicapping the cards in-depth on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with our turf-man also providing his thoughts on all the Graded Stakes races throughout. They will also provide their thoughts on all the runners in the Belmont Stakes. So keep checking back with us all week for coverage of the Belmont Stakes and all the undercard races.

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