Expert Pick of the Week: Belmont Stakes
Jun 17, 2020
A fantastic field of 10 will square off in Saturday’s $1 million Belmont Stakes (G1). Run as the initial leg of the Triple Crown this year for the first time in the 152-year history of the event, the Belmont Park feature attracted a serious cast of talented sophomores who have room for improvement. But make no mistake, the 1 1/8-mile race goes through dual Grade-1 star Tiz the Law. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.
Trained by Barclay Tagg, the Empire State-bred has been superb since his unveiling at Saratoga in August. The son of sharp young sire Constitution followed his debut score with a convincing victory in the Champagne (G1) on the Belmont main surface, and the once-beaten dynamo has been sublime in a pair of graded tallies at Gulfstream Park to commence his 2020 campaign.
The bay colt has displayed fine versatility to this stage of his development, capable of running his best from close to the pace, or from well off the early tempo, as well. Tiz the Law is also training in fine fashion heading into his classic debut.
Purchased for a bargain $110,000 as a yearling, the Sackatoga Stable’s color bearer drew well near the outside of the Belmont Stakes field, and he will take back some in the early stages with a lot of speed in the mix. The powerful stretch runner figures to receive a great trip to the top of the lane on Saturday under regular rider Manny Franco.
With an expected odds-on price on the favorite, I will focus on the exacta to help boost the return. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a pair of contenders on Saturday, led by budding star Dr. Post. The $400,000 son of Quality Road has been well backed in each of his trio of lifetime assignments, and he really caught my eye in both of his 2020 races.
Dr. Post came off a long absence to graduate in style in a dash at Gulfstream Park two prior, earning a hefty 104 BRIS Speed number in the process. Most recently, the Kentucky-bred was boxed in traffic for nearly the entire length of the stretch in the Unbridled S. and still prevailed in going-away fashion once clear inside the final furlong. The colt faces a big class hike in the Belmont, but he has the look of a prime prospect who might be up to the task when making his graded stakes debut.
Expert Pick of the Belmont Stakes
An Exacta with #8 Tiz the Law over #9 Dr. Post is the Best Bet of the Week.
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