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July 5 (UPI) -- Belmont Park kicks of a summer-long festival of high-class, high-stakes turf racing this weekend with Delaware Park and several other tracks adding a green tinge to the red-white-and-blue holiday weekend. Prairie Meadows offers its biggest weekend of racing, too, spreading across the four-day Fourth of July festivities. Despite all the action, there's only one Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race.
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Hoping all enjoyed a safe and fun Fourth of July, we fire off with:
Turf
Saturday's $1 million Grade I Belmont Derby Invitational is a right puzzle with Plus Que Parfait coming out of the Kentucky Derby after winning the UAE Dergy in Dubai, Master Fencer returning from the Run for the Roses after qualifying in Japan, the top four finishers returning from the Grade III Pennine Ridge over the course and Blenheim Palace and Cape of Good Hope ably representing the Irish Interests.
Empire of War, Solidify and Eons rank high on the morning line for Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park. Empire of War, the narrow favorite, has finished fourth, third and second in three starts this year for trainer Todd Pletcher. Eons has three straight wins and great potential and Solidify is 2-for-3 and finished behind Empire of War in the lone loss.
Filly & Mare Turf
Concrete Rose and Newspaperofrecord face off again in Saturday's $750,000 Grade I Belmont Oaks Invitational. Concrete Rose defeated Newspaperofrecord, last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, in the Grade III Edgewood at Churchill Downs on Oaks Day, rallying late to catch the front-runner. Newspaperofrecord was second again in her most recent start, that to Saturday competitor Cambier Parc, and trainer Chad Brown, hinted after that defeat that a change in tactics could be in the works.
The Belmont Oaks attracted unprecedented international interest with Jodie invading from Japan and Aidan O'Brien sends Coral Beach and Just Wonderful from Ireland. All three of the foreigners, however, need significant improvement over their recent efforts.
A wide-open field of 10, including a rare two-horse entry, awaits Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park. French import Gaining, a Juddmonte Farms homebred by American Post, is the lukewarm favorite after a pair of seconds in her first two U.S. starts. Also gaining favor with the oddsmaker are Coachwhip, Gentle Ruler and Osare. This promises to be a scramble.
Turf Mile
Vow Me Now puts a four-race win skein on the line in Saturday's $100,000 Not Surprising Stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park. All four wins were accomplished at Gulfstream, most recently the English Channel Stakes by a nose over Art G Is Back. That rival is, in fact, back in a field of seven.
Vow to Recover heads a field of eight for Saturday's $2100,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park. She exits a win in the Honey Ryder Stakes over the course.
Turf Sprint
Pure Sensation is the 9-5 morning line pick in an overflow field for Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Parx Dash. The 8-year-old Zensational gelding won this in 2017 and finished third in last year's edition and enters this fray with a two-race win streak.
Classic
A year ago, Catholic Boy was winning the Grade I Belmont Derby on the grass. Saturday, the More Than Ready colt is the 9-5 favorite on the morning line for the $700,000 Grade II Suburban over the Belmont dirt. A worthy favorite, too. He followed the Belmont Derby effort with a victory in the Grade I Travers on the Saratoga main track before a Breeders' Cup Classic misfire, then won the Grade II Dixie on the Pimlico green in his 2019 debut. Trainer Jonathan Thomas must hate the flexibility.
Among the others in the Suburban, Marconi and Rocketry reported 1-2 in their last start, the Grade II Brooklyn Invitational and Pavel makes his second U.S. start after a gallant fourth in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup this past March.
Friday's $300,000 Grade III Prairie Meadows Cornhusker has a field of 11 but nothing approaching a favorite on the morning line. Exclamation Point is the top pick, at 9-2, following wins at Fair Ground and Oaklawn Park, then a second in the Oaklawn Mile. Another five are at single-digit odds in a race clearly offering great betting potential.
On the same card at Prairie Meadows, the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows attracted 12 and also lacks a clear favorite. Attracting the oddsmaker's attention are Visitant, posted at 7-2, and Night Ops, at 9-2. Visitant, a Ghostzapper colt, came off the Golden Gate fields all-weather to run third in the Grade III Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita in his most recent start. Night Ops, a Warrior's Reward colt, was second in the Oaklawn Invitational and then victorious in a Churchill Downs allowance race.
Distaff
Jaywalk, winless in three starts since taking the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filles last fall, seeks a turn of fortune in Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks. The Cross Traffic filly was fourth, then third in her first two starts this season, then finished sixth in the Kentucky Oaks but was disqualified to last for interference at the start. Other to consider are Fashion Faux Pas and Avalina.
Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows has a field of seven with Lady Apple and Ulele the morning-line picks. Lady Apple, a Curlin filly, won the Grade III Fantasy at Oaklawn Park, then checked in third in the Kentucky Oaks. Ulele was second in the Grade II Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico in her first stakes try.
Sprint/Dirt Mile
Saturday's $300,000 Grade I John A. Nerud at Belmont Park is a 7-furlongs "Win and You're In" for Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Santa Anita. Promises Fulfilled is the 2-1 pick on the morning line despite not having won in four starts since the Grade I Phoenix at Keeneland last fall. Granted, the efforts since then produced a fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup, a fourth in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, a third in the Grade I Churchill Downs and a fourth in the Grade I Met Mile.
The eight rivals facing Promises Fulfilled, a 4-year-old Shackleford colt, in the Nerud seem relatively tame by comparison.
Code of Honor, the Fountain of Youth winner and adjudged runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, returns to action as the odds-on favorite among six entered for Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park, a one-turn mile. The British-bred colt by Noble Mission has missed the frame only once in six starts and finished second over the track in the Grade I Champagne last fall.
Share the Upside, a Steve Asmussen shipper, tops a field of seven for Friday's $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap at Prairie Meadows
Filly & Mare Sprint
Seven are registered for Saturday's $200,000 Grade II Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos with Marley's Freedom and Anonymity prominent among them.
Friday's $150,000 Grade III Victory Ride Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park has a field of five, well balanced with Sue's Fortune, Royal Charlotte and Cookie Dough topping the handicapper's list.
