Opening day of the fall Belmont meeting. Not a great card but I have a few longshot prospects.

Race 1.  While Chomsky may get a lot of action he has had 16 starts and mostly seconds and thirds. I’m going to give him a lesser chance in this race. Play Big drops out of MSW into the claiming ranks. He came off a seven month layoff and showed good speed in his return at SAR. Glennevan jumped up slightly last out but returns to this level today. He has primarily been routing but I like his chances on the distance cutback. DJ seems to have Tree Top Lover moving in the right direction and he has the figures to be a factor today.  Primary 6-1-7  Secondary (2)

Race 2.  Not a tricky race for me. Neoclassic and Winter Springs are likely to go favorite and are the first two choices. East Bay Lodge is the one that interests me a little. He has some negatives – 13 starts at BEL without cracking the top three – but I like his potential at today’s distance. Not a horse to go crazy on, but might be worth a couple of bucks. Primary 7-8-9-2

Race 3.  With the scratch of Juba this race looks like a two horse affair between Ocean Knight and Protonic.  Primary 1-3  Secondary (5)

Race 4.  Another race where it looks like the horses that will be bet look best. Mission Leader goes first time for Kieran McLaughlin. I like price they paid and I think the workout pattern looks positive. Mission Command looked strong in his SAR race and looks like the one to beat. Dab had a good effort in his maiden race.  Primary 2-6-3  Secondary (5)

Race 5. Decent came of a five month layoff to just miss at SAR. Consistent figures and should improve today. Dr. Dorr came to SAR for Bob Baffert and ran a good one. I like that he stays in NY for a comeback. Lord of Love has a lot of starts but has good prospects in the verticals.  Primary 9-1-2  Secondary (3, 6)

Race 6. Not a lot of insight here. Mighty Moses, Basic Hero and Market Sentiment. Primary 4-2-3  Secondary (5, 7)

Race 7. This is a very competitive race.  Manoffire had been off 10 moths when he returned at SAR. He ran well in that race and should improve today. Low-key connections are a concern, but the odds will be right. Whiskey Seven is two for two in his short career and picks up Javier Castellano for the ride. Banana Thief has been running steady figures and has run well of the short layoff.  Primary 2-9-5  Secondary (1, 4, 5, 8)

Race 8.  Most Beautiful makes her stateside debut. Overseas she was a G3 winner and is competitive on figures. Ava’s Kitten is 2 of 3 on the BEL turf and goes for the hot Chad Brown. Sky My Sky ran well in the Lake George and has competitive figures. Primary 1-5-6  Secondary (3, 7, 10)

Race 9. Competitive finale. I’m swinging for the fences with Catapult Jack and Schout Bay get the primary nod, while the likely crowd favorites, Kopper Wired and Heavenly Sun are contenders. Primary 2-10-4-5  Secondary (12)