Friday Horse Racing Picks & Best Exotic Bets: 2 Races to Play at Belmont Park (June 26, 2020)

Tracks galore are running today across North America, with the premier slate coming again at Belmont Park via its exciting nine-race card.

Here are the featured plays at “Big Sandy,", along with some more multi-race wagers for Woodbine and opening day at Los Alamitos Thoroughbred, as well as the evening card at Evangeline Downs.

It was another nice day of multi-race winners again on Thursday, so we are hopeful much of the same comes from these plays.

Lets take a look:

BELMONT PARK

Race 5

Time: 3:27 p.m. ET

My top selection in this $27,000 Claiming race, scheduled for seven furlongs on the dirt track, is No. 5 Javelin at 9-5 odds.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. gets in the saddle for trainer Rob Atras, who saw his charge finish second in a claiming event on June 3 at “Big Sandy.” It marked the fourth consecutive race Javelin finished either second or third, which extended his winless drought that dates back to early last year when he picked up back-to-back wins at Aqueduct.

All Javelin needs to do is show slight improvement from his 75 Equibase Speed Figure he posted in his prior race to get the job done and I think he will do just that to get off the schneid.

Play Javelin across the board in your Win-Place-Show wagering and on top of your exotics with No. 7 Tale of Mist at 7-2 odds. Use No. 1 Blue Belt (3-1), No. 3 Blinded Vision (3-1) and No. 4 Gaultier (20-1) underneath in your exacta and trifecta plays.

The bets:

• $5 Win/Place/Show: No. 5 Javelin (9-5)— $15 Ticket
• $4 exacta wager: 5/7 over 1/3/5/7 — $24 Ticket
• $1.50 trifecta wager: 5/7 over 1/3/5/7 over 1/3/4/5/7— $27 Ticket

[Bet now at TVG (available in 31 states) and get your first win-bet 100% risk-free up to $300.]

Race 8 (Hessonite Stakes)

Time: 5:04 p.m. ET

I am going with a bit of a price in the day’s featured race and backing No. 1 Hannah’s Smile (9-2) as the slight upset winner in this six-furlong event slated for the turf course.

Trainer Michelle Nevin sent her 6-year-old filly out three weeks back in an Allowance Optional Claiming event, where she finished a disappointing ninth place. However, I am not putting much stock in that effort, simply due to the fact it was her first start of the year after a strong 2019 campaign that ended with three wins in her last four races.

Jockey Manny Franco climbs aboard Hannah’s Smile, who needed that debut to shake off the cobwebs from the winter break. In a race that’s pretty wide open, I am going these connections to get the win in this $80,000 stakes race.

Play Hannah’s Smile across the board and box her in your exacta and trifecta wagers with No. 4 Kid Is Frosty (3-1), No. 5 Mentality (7-2) and No. 7 Saratoga Treasure at 2-1 odds.

The bets:

• $4 Win/Place/Show: No. 1 Hannah’s Smile (9-2) — $12 Ticket
• $2 exacta box wager: 1/4/5/7 — $24 Ticket
• $1 trifecta box wager: 1/4/5/7 — $24 Ticket

[Bet now at TVG (available in 31 states) and get your first win-bet 100% risk-free up to $300.]

Favorite Multi-Race Wagers at Belmont Park

• Daily Double (Races 5 and 6): 5,7 / 1,4,6,9,10,11 ($2 Daily Double = $24 Ticket)
• Daily Double (Races 7 and 8): 4,5,8,9 / 1,4,5,7 ($1.50 Daily Double = $24 Ticket)
• Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9): 4,5,8,9 / 1,4,5,7 / 1,3,9,13,14 ($0.50 Pick 3 = $40 Ticket)

BONUS PLAYS

Favorite Multi-Race Wagers at Woodbine

• Daily Double (Races 3 and 4): 1,3,6 / 3,4,7 ($3 Daily Double = $27 Ticket)
• Pick 3 (Races 5-6-7): 1,2,8 / 1,2,4 / 2,5 ($2 Pick 3 = $36 Ticket)

Favorite Multi-Race Wagers at Los Alamitos Thoroughbred

• Daily Double (Races 1 and 2): 3,4,7 / 1,4,5 ($2 Daily Double = $18 Ticket)
• Daily Double (Races 3 and 4): 3,5,6,8 / 1,4,7 ($2.50 Daily Double = $30 Ticket)
• Pick 3 (Races 6-7-8): 2,3,4,8 / 1,4,5,7 / 1,2,8 ($0.50 Pick 3 = $24 Ticket)

Favorite Multi-Race Wagers at Evangeline Downs

• Daily Double (Races 5 and 6): 1,2,4,6 / 1,2,5,10 ($1.50 Daily Double = $24 Ticket)
• Pick 3 (Races 5-6-7): 1,2,4,6 / 1,2,5,10 / 1,4,5,9 ($0.50 Pick 3 = $32 Ticket)

[Bet now at TVG (available in 31 states) and get your first win-bet 100% risk-free up to $300.]