GII Sheepshead Bay Stakes is the Saturday Feature at Belmont Park – Post Positions, Picks, M/L Odds, Free Past Performances

The GII Sheepshead Bay Stakes turfer is the Saturday feature at Belmont Park!

The GII Sheepshead Bay Stakes turfer is the Saturday feature at Belmont Park!

The $200,000, GII Sheepshead Bay Stakes, for the older lady turfers, going 1 3/8 mile will be the Saturday featured race over the Belmont Park outer turf course!

Free Past Performances,

“8″ turf loving ladies are set to pick’em up and lay’em down for this GII, 2-turn ladies marathon long distance run!

Hessonite , is coming off a GIII win in the Beaugay Stakes here on May 4th where she covered that 1 1/16 mile turfers in a solid 1:40.4 in a patented late Hessonite run! She’ll be stretching out to this 1 3/8 mile distance here on Saturday for the first time!

Strathnaver , winner of the GIII Bewitched Stakes at Keeneland last out by just a head after a 1 1/2 mile run. The 1 3/8 mile here on Saturday should be no problem for her!

Julie’s Love , winner of the $90k Owsley Stakes here back on May 1st at 1 1/4 mile in a winning time of 2:02.1 could be poised for her first G/S win here on Saturday with repeat performance!

Starformer , won the GIII Very One at Gulfstream 2 back but falter for 5th last out in the GIII Orchid Stakes at 1 1/2 mile, so perhaps the 1 3/8 mile here on Saturday will be more to her liking!

Mystical Star , is a true veteran of these longer ladies turf events with a GII win over this same surface here last year and did finish 3rd in the 2012 edition of this race. Her last out was a very flat performance in the GIII Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland last month. She’ll need to step up here on Saturday once again to be in the mix!

Minakshi , 2nd in that same $90k Owsley Stakes to Julie’s Love, by a 1/2 length. This French import is going to have to fine another gear here on Saturday to get a piece or bounce sky high!

So, $200k at 1 3/8 mile for the older lady turfers over the Belmont outer turf course is the main course on the Saturday menu in the GII Sheepshead Bay Stakes! “Shall we dine”?

PP.

Horse

Jockey

Wgt.

Trainer

M/L Odds

1. Starformer E S Prado 120 W I Mott  7/2
2. Julie’s Love J   Castellano 116 H G Motion  6/1
3. Tannery L   Saez 118 A E Goldberg  8/1
4. Anjaz I   Ortiz, Jr. 116 T   Albertrani  15/1
5. Hessonite J   Alvarado 120 D G Donk  5/2
6. Strathnaver J   Rosario 120 H G Motion  4/1
7. Mystical Star J   Lezcano 120 C   Clement  5/1
8. Minakshi R   Maragh 116 M R Matz  12/1

Picks are – 5,1,7,6 exacta box, with the 2 or 8 in the super spot!

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2013 GI Belmont Stakes – Probables with Early Odds

2013 Belmont Stakes - Probables

2013 Belmont Stakes – Probables

The 2013 GI Belmont Stakes is still a few weeks out, but there are some names that are most probable for the 145th “Run for the Carnations” on Saturday, June 8th.

2013 Belmont Stakes “Probables”,

Orb, GI Kentucky Derby winner and 4th in the GI Preakness – 7/2

Oxbow, GI Preakness winner, 6th in the Derby – 7/2

Golden Soul, 2nd in the Kentucky Derby – 10/1

Normandy Invasion, 4th in the Kentucky Derby – 5/1

Overanalyze, winner of the GI Arkansas Derby and 11th in the Kentucky Derby – 9/1

Revolutionary, 3rd in the Kentucky Derby – 7/1

Mylute, 3rd in the GI Preakness Stakes – 7/1

Fear The Kitten, 5th in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes – 20/1

Dreaming of Julia, 4th in the GI Kentucky Oaks – 8/1

Unlimited Budget, 3rd in the GI Kentucky Oaks – 8/1

Freedom Child, winner of the GII Peter Pan Stakes – 15/1

Palace Malice, 12th in the Kentucky Derby – 12/1

Code West, 2nd in the GII Risen Star Stakes – 20/1

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Kauai Katie to stretch out in the GI Acorn Stakes – Probables and Free PP’s

Kauai Katie - in a tour de force win in the GII Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park this past winter!

Kauai Katie – in a tour de force win in the GII Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park this past winter!

Kauai Katie, a multiple G/S winner whose lone lifetime defeat was as a 2yo in the 2012 B/C Juvenile Fillies tussle last fall at Santa Anita, will stretch out to a mile on a big G/S Memorial Day card at Belmont Park in the 1-mile, GI Acorn Stakes, for 3yo fillies with a purse of $300,000.

Free Past Performances,

Kauai Katie, out of  the top flight handling of trainer Todd Pletcher and the gang over at Stonestreet Stables is 3 for 3 this year with her last win coming in the Road Princess  Stakes at Aqueduct on 04/21/13 where she wired a smallish field by an easy 3 1/4 lengths!

The connections have been bringing this 3yo daughter of Malibu Moon along purposely so far this season so as to point her to this contest and the GI Test up at Saratoga later this Summer!

Midnight Lucky, is out of the Baffert barn, lead this year’s GI Kentucky Oaks all the way into the stretch run before faltering back to a 5th finish last out! She set some solid early factions too in the GI Oaks so a the mile distant just might be up her alley here in Monday.

Manuka Honey, who baled on an Oaks run a week ago Friday looks to reemerge here on Monday in the GI Acorn as she was a solid 2nd to Rose Of Gold last out in the GIII Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park!

Cue The Moon, also by Malibu Moon, finished 3rd last time out in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks behind the runaway express that was Dreaming of Julia who cleared the entire field that day by 21 plus lengths! She is still but a maiden winner only but has placed well in her 2 G/S runs thus far!

Momentary Magic, by Indian Charlie, is also but a maiden winner, but the bloodline here say there should be a reserve of talent here as well!

Let Me Entertain U, by Nobiz like Showbiz, finished 5th last out in the GII Gazelle Stakes on Wood day at Aqueduct behind Close Hatches and ultimate GI Kentucky Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar!

Close Hatches, is still on the fence for a run in this year’s GI Acorn, but her less than sterling performance in the Kentucky Oaks last out might mean that a next trip out at a Big Apple venue might be more to her liking, along with a shorter trip, too!

So, there is still lots and lots of 3yo Filly talent on this nominations sheet and we’d expect to see more top 3yo fillies line up for this first of 3 “Triple Tiara” races here in the Empire State this year!

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Joyful Victory to run in the GI Ogden Phipps Handicap – Probables with Free PP’s

Joyful Victory - scores easy win in today's GI Santa Margarrita Stakes  at  Santa Anita Park

Joyful Victory – scores easy win in the GI Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita Park last out

Joyful Victory, winner of the GI Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita last out and Believe You Can, 3rd in the GII La Troienne Stakes last out will make up a dynamic duo for the Larry Jones barn in Monday’s $400,000, GI Ogden Phipps Handicap, for 4yo and up F/M’s, going 1 1/16 mile over the Belmont Park main track!

Free Past Performances,

Tiz Miz Sue, up from her 1/2 length 2nd to On Fire Baby in the Oaklawn Park, GI Apple Bloom Hcp last out will make her first visit to the Big Apple here on Monday!

Disposablepleasure, winner of 2 straight including the GIII Sixty Sails Hcp at Hawthorne last out!

Authenticity - winner of the GII La Troienne Stakes at Churchill on Oaks Day last out, besting On Fire Baby and Believe You Can, in a nice 1:42 flat, 1 1/16  mile test!

Centring, 2nd to Disposablepleasure in a top Gulfstream Park Alw over the winter after a stumbling start!

There are still more top 4yo and up F/M’s names left on the nominations sheet for this holiday GI event, so look for more top older fillies and mares to be in this GI line up come post time for this 2nd of 3 GI tussles on the Belmont Park Memorial Day card!

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2013 GI Met Mile Hcp – Probables with Free PP’s

Breaking from the Belmont Stakes gates

Breaking from the Belmont Park gates

With the Memorial Day weekend rapidly approaching marking the official beginning of the Summer racing season, the GI Met Mile Hcp will be the main attraction of a huge G/S card at Belmont Park this Memorial Day Monday!

Free Past Performances,

A solid field of top older middle distance runners looks to be forming up for this 1-turn Belmont Park holiday classic!

Probables are,

Mucho Macho Man

Mark Valeski

Sahara Sky

Swagger Jack

Fort Loudon

Discreet Dancer

Handsome Mike

Fed Biz

Cross Traffic

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It’s a Celebration – “downthestretchs” 1- Million Viewers

“One Million” and Still Counting!

From all of us here at “downthestretchs” we’d like to thank all our readers for taking the time to peruse our humble offerings here everyday! It’s you “our fantastic readers” that makes all this possible, our most sincerest thanks for bringing us to this historic 1 Millionth viewing milestone!

“Thanks a Million”

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