Belmont Park Hotlist - June 19

Today’s NY Hot List races to watch – Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Belmont Park
By Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt

Hot List Key:
 A: A preferred horse to watch                                 B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 1st through 3rd
*D: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 4^th or worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

7^th race [Clm 50000, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (5) Attentive (C) has run two big races since getting back on the grass. Either of those efforts is good enough to win in this spot where much of the field is stepping up in class. Last time he was bet down from 12-1 to 6-1 and finished second. (3) Clear Vision will make his first appearance in a claimer after racing in stakes and allowances. (6) Noble Thought fits well in this large field of evenly matched veteran turf runners. Last year, he had three wins in high level claiming races. (9) Smile Bryan also has two excellent performances since moving back to the grass. Aggressive rider Luis Saez will likely send him to the lead early.

8^th race [Alw 50000s, 1 mi] – (5) Indian Counselor (D) is in fine form in 2021 with two wins and two place finishes. Last time out, when he was bet from 6-1 to 7-2, he did not find the sloppy track to his liking. He has a perfect record at the mile distance. (4) Top Gun Tommy returns from a freshening after a win and a second in Florida at Gulfstream Park. He was second behind Known Agenda in his most recent start. (1) Sono Grato won a maiden special weight two races back and now finds a field with plenty of early speed which should suit his stalking style. (10) My First Grammy has hit the board in 5 out of his last 6 starts and is one to use underneath in your wagers.

9^th race [NY Stallion Series, 7F TURF] – (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.

10^th race [NY, Md 25000, 6F] – (2) Ob La Di doesn’t like racing on wet tracks but his two starts on the dry main track were excellent. Either of them are good enough to win here. (1) Lady Normandy was second in a similar spot which was only her third career start. (6) Bella Domenica will drop down a notch after a failed experiment on the grass. Rudy Rodriguez gets the services of Irad Ortiz and that is unusual in a race like this. (12) Maria’s Gift has been close to winning at this level several times recently.

Best bets:  Attentive (7^th); Indian Counselor (8^th). Best value:  Dancing Buck (9^th); Ob La Di (10^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 on races 7-9 includes the New York Stallion Series Stakes  à 5 with 1, 4, 5, 10 with 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13 = $28.