The start of a fantastic week of thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs, New York is nearly upon us. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off in earnest on Wednesday afternoon for the first of 5 cards headlined by Saturday’s third jewel of the Triple Crown. Wednesday is for the New York-breds and the slate came up as good as one could hope. Here are a few horses I like most to get things started at one of my favorite places on the planet.

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Race 4: Kingston
This 1 1/16-mile event over the Inner Turf is likely to be bet like a three-horse race between #2 George Briggs, #6 Mi Bago, and #7 Spirit of St Louis. Mi Bago and Spirit of St Louis have the substantial class edge, but I still prefer George Briggs. The son of Fog of War was moved into the Miguel Clement barn before his last start against allowance foes at Aqueduct on June 3. He passed the test with flying colors at odds-on pulling away late to win very easily at this same distance. He has to prove himself against better competition, but should be set for his best with Flavien Prat back to ride. A win bet at 2-1 or higher for me and a single in horizontals.

Play: #2 George Briggs (2-1 ML)


Race 5: Critical Eye
I definitely will hope to be live with a Daily Double out of the Kingston into this 9-furlong affair over the main track to #1 Walk With Me. The Central Banker mare ran three times at one-turn this winter/spring at Aqueduct, including a win against open company allowance foes at 12-1 in February. With the two favorites #3 Landed and #7 Bernietakescharge potentially compromising each other’s chances on the front end, it is quite possible the David Duggan trainee will be in the perfect spot to take advantage. The fact she has a win at the distance and gets a major rider upgrade to Flavien Prat gives me reason to believe that with the right voyage she can out finish this group late. Duggan does not start a ton of horses, but thus far in 2026 he has won with 7 of 36. 18 have finished in the money. Hopefully, she stays at her ML price or floats slightly higher.

Play: #1 Walk With Me (7-2 ML)


Race 8: Mike Lee
My final spot play on the Wednesday agenda comes in a strong edition of this 7-furlong event over the main track. There are some talented runners in here, but I am going to try to beat the logicals with #2 B Thedonald. The pace should be contentious, which should bode well for those who can settle early and finish with energy. This lightly-raced son of Girvin certainly fits the bill. He comes in to his first stakes try off a pair of narrow wins in similar voyages as he encounters in his first trip to upstate New York. Trainer Horacio De Paz comes in smoking hot, winning with 8 of 27 over the last 30 days for a $3.05 ROI. The $60k EAS May ’25 purchase should be finishing well off a favorable voyage if he is up to the class test.

Play: #2 B Thedonald (10-1 ML)