A superb week of high-quality racing action at Saratoga gets underway on Thursday, as the G2 Belmont Gold Cup takes place. This race is staged over two miles on the turf, and a field of 12 will go to post in New York.
Before Betting On Belmont Gold Cup
The Belmont Gold Cup has been staged annually since being introduced as the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational in 2014. It is the longest race on the North American schedule, meaning that it typically attracts entries from across Europe where races over a staying trip are more common. A purse of $250,000 will be up for grabs at Saratoga on Thursday.
Unsurprisingly, Charlie Appleby holds a strong hand at Saratoga this week, and six-year-old Siskany could get the British trainer off to the perfect start. The runner is proven over this staying distance, landing the Belmont Gold Cup in 2023. His form this term remains very strong after recording two wins in Meydan, before an excellent fourth behind Tower Of London in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
However, there are a number of American chances in the race this week, including Starting Over for Michael Maker. He showed his staying ability when holding off Tawny Port over a mile and three in the G2 Mac Diarmida Stakes. Six Minus could also be challenging to overlook after staying strongly to take second over a mile and four on his previous start.
Costa Terra could be one of the more interesting runners to line up for Linda Rice. The five-year-old is unproven over this far, but he looked like a stayer in the making when finishing second on his previous start at Aqueduct. Limited Liability is another runner that looks perfectly tailored to this test based on his form over a mile and four last year.
Belmont Gold Cup Offshore Odds & Pick
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Siskany | 2.00 |
| Costa Terro | 3.50 |
| Starting Over | 4.50 |
| Limited Liability | 9.00 |
| The Grey Wizard | 9.00 |
| Pioneering Spirit | 11.00 |
| Really Good | 16.00 |
Siskany’s form in the book is incredibly hard to overlook when assessing the most likely winner this week. At a price, The Grey Wizard could be an interesting selection after bouncing back to form when third over a mile and four on his previous outing. Further improvement could be likely with stamina in his pedigree.
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