The calendar may tell you it is still summer, but fall has arrived on the NYRA circuit after the summer meet at Saratoga. Aqueduct will host the Belmont fall meet once again, and the feature for today’s opening day card is the Winter Memories stakes going a mile on the inner turf course.
Note that the rail is out 24 feet today which limits the main field to 10 fillies. Drawing the 1-hole is Macanga (10/1 morning line) who is cross entered into the tenth race tomorrow.
Also cross entered into Saturday’s race is the 4 Mixologist (8/1). She is two for three lifetime and has shown the ability to close in her young career. But keep an eye on the scratches when they are first announced to see if Macanga and Mixologist will run today.
If those cross entered entries are scratched, then we should be two of the four “also eligibles” potentially running today with the 11 Ready to Jam (12/1 ML), the 12 Proctor Street (5/1 ML), the 13 Vino Rouge (10/1ML) and 14 Ori (20/1 ML) needing scratches from the main body of the field to get in today. Of these horses, Proctor Street has the best chance at winning today.
Belmont at the Big A Race 9 – Winter Memories Stakes
We also have a main track only entrant in Value Area (2/1 morning line) who has an advantage over the turf entrants if this ended up on the main track. But it hasn’t rained much on the east coast over the last week, so the 15 will be scratched.
Favored amongst the main body of the field today is the 8 Dynamic Pricing (5/2 ML) who closed well in the Grade 2 Lake Placid last month at Saratoga. She has shown a great kick in the stretch and could be very dangerous here today.
Although she has logged some frequent flyer miles this year, the 5 Whiskey Decision (6/1 ML) comes into this race tired in the Del Mar Oaks last month. She wanted to go for the lead when the jock wanted the horse to settle. She has been at or near the lead in four of her five races, and should be on the lead here with no real speed entered in this race.
The 9 Nice as Pie (6/1 ML) showed she can go two turns on the turf closing well in the Penn Oaks at Penn National at the end of May. She is first race off of a three-month layoff but she has been training very well at Churchill to prepare for this race today.
I mentioned Proctor Street before she won both her races in her short career, with the last being a 17/1 upset at Saratoga in July. The runner up to this horse won the Grade 2 Lake Placid in her next race so that may prove how well she ran in that upset win.
It looks like the 7 Poolside With Slim (5/1 ML) could have first run at the leader or leaders turning from home. She was close to the lead in the Tepin at Churchill in June and comes back here at Aqueduct today. She defeated Nice as Pie in the Penn Oaks back in May.
I am hoping the 12 Proctor Street draws in because I want to see what this horse does today. She could be a filly who could be a force to be reckoned with in the future. With the two cross entries in this race, I think she will get in, and I think she will pass everyone in the stretch to win this race. Let’s call this 12-7-8-5 and my play is $20 to win on the 12. Best of luck everyone!
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