Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, September 20
All eyes will be on Parx on Saturday with the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby featuring many of the Triple Crown horses. If you are looking for picks, check out the VSiN At The Track Podcast on Apple or Spotify. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
As far as the juiciest pools, that’s going to come from Belmont at the Big A, where we have a double carryover in the Pick 6 and a Late Pick 5 carryover! Let’s look at some horses you can lean on in those sequences.
Winter Memories Stakes, Belmont at the Big A, Race #8
When looking over the Pick 5 and Pick 6 sequence, this is the best spot to single if that is your jam. I like the #1 Opulent Restraint, who get some major class relief in this spot and also holds a significant speed edge over this field. He’s lost to the likes of Nitrogen, Fionn and Laurelin in the last three, who would all be sub-even money against this field. The speed is what puts this over the top. Breaking from the rail, he should control the pace and race from gate to wire.
#2 May Day Ready won going gate to wire last time out, but his best game is coming from off the pace, and that is what he will need to do today. He’s got the talent to compete with the 1, but will need to run a career-best effort here.
#9 Griselda is the ”other Brown” in this spot and showed an impressive kick first time in North America, winning last time out. He will need to take another big step forward, but it’s Brown with Prat aboard, so it’s possible.
#4 Decadent is the bomb that I would include if you want to go deep here. He’s 12-1 on the morning line and should enjoy the switch to the turf. He showed some early foot on debut, and if he can replicate that, he’s got a shot.
Top 4: 1-2-9-4
The Bets: $50 Win #1 – Single the 1 in multi-race bets
$50k Maiden Claimer, Belmont at the Big A, Race #11
These are always fun races to close the card, and it is one that I think you can go short on. #1 Saratoga Snow drew well with the rail to complement her speed. She was competitive at this level two back, when she drew the rail, by going to the lead and should do the same here. There is not much else speed drawn on so a gate-to-wire win could be in the cards.
#10 Princess Summer is the logical winner here with Prat aboard. The numbers fit, but she will need to flip the script on Saratoga Snow, and the post is not ideal.
#5 Catholic Edition was a shot price at this level last time and had no chance; the prior two efforts are good enough to make some noise here.
#4 Addagirl Addie has been running at this level for a while, but her best efforts are all when there were paceless races like today. She should be forward in this race, and that gives her a shot.
Top 4: 1-10-5-4
The Bets: $50 Win #1 – Single the 1 or go two deep here with 1 and 10.
