Talented field of nine assembled for Belmont Derby
Talented field of nine assembled for Belmont Derby
By the NY Hot List Staff // Thursday, October 1, 2020
A talented group of nine 3-year-olds will go to the gate on Saturday for the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational. The field includes five horses with wins in their most recent starts and the top three finishers from the Saratoga Derby that were separated by only a half-length.
Domestic Spending, the winner of that Saratoga Derby by a head, is the 5-2 morning line favorite. The Chad Brown runner is the winner of three out of four starts in his career along with a third in the Hall of Fame (G2).
Gufo is the 3-1 morning line second choice based on his career record of 6: 4-1-1 which includes two stakes victories. He rallied from last and lost the Saratoga Derby by a head after an erratic stretch run. Trainer Christophe Clemente has been preparing for this race since that narrow defeat.
“He’s been training very forwardly since the race at Saratoga,” explained Clement. “I had two choices; to run him here or go to Kentucky Downs. We trained for here because we think he’s an ideal horse to run at Belmont with the wider turns and the mile and a quarter will be really good for him.”
Trainer Michael Stidham shipped Pixelate, who is listed at 5-1, out west where he won his first graded stakes race in the Del Mar Derby (G2). A consistent performer, Pixelate has hit the board in every race in his career.
“We’ve been really happy with his training,” Stidham said. “He’s raced at many different tracks with different riders and seems to always go out there and try hard, so we’re excited to run him in a Grade 1. He’s just an honest horse who goes out there and gives a big effort every single time.”
Here are the Hot List picks for the Belmont Derby:
The $250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), Belmont Park, Saturday, Race 9.
(4) Domestic Spending has three wins from four career starts for Chad Brown which includes the Saratoga Derby Invitational where he beat a strong field with a stalking trip. His only loss came in the Hall of Fame (G2) where he broke slowly and then had to race wide to finish third. His speed figures have improved in every race. (2) Gufo had a four-race winning streak snapped when he lost to the top choice by only a head after a less than ideal trip in the stretch. The Christophe Clemente runner has two stakes wins to his credit including the Kent (G3). (6) Pixelate has never run worse than third in his 11-race career. Most recently, he shipped out to the west coast to win the Del Mar Derby (G2) for trainer Michael Stidham after a two-months between races. (8) Moon Over Miami is the recent winner of the $700,000 Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs for Bill Mott. Since adding blinkers a few races back, his performance peaked and he will certainly handle the ten-furlong distance of this Belmont Derby.
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