by Keith McCalmont
Saturday’s card at Belmont at the Big A will be bolstered by a Pick 6 carryover of $24,846 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday’s eight-race program.
The $1 Pick 6 returned $2,078 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.
Friday’s sequence kicked off in Race 3 with the Rick Dutrow, Jr.-trained Sandy Sweet Tooth [No. 7, $4.20*] prevailing in a photo finish under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to capture a six-furlong state-bred allowance sprint.
Tongue Twister [No. 2, $20], with Romero Maragh up for trainer Ray Handal, upset an optional-claiming turf route in Race 4 one race before Mentee [No. 7, $10.20] made his turf debut a winning one for Hall of Fame connections Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez in the Grade 3 Futurity in Race 5.
In Race 6, a six-furlong allowance sprint, Golden Degree [No. 4, $11.40] scored with Jose Lezcano in the irons for trainer Linda Rice one race before Kendrick Carmouche engineered a rail-skimming rally aboard La Mehana [No. 3, $21.20] in Race 7 to capture the Grade 3 Waya for conditioner Christophe Clement.
With the carryover already confirmed for the Race 8 finale, a six-furlong outer turf allowance for state-breds, Heymackit’sjack [No. 4, $12.60] closed out the card with Ortiz, Jr. at the helm for trainer Jamie Begg.
Saturday’s Pick 6 sequence will kick off in Race 7 at 3:17 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The lucrative 12-race card includes the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne in Race 8, offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and is supported by additional graded events in the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational in Race 5 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint in Race 6. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.