On Saturday, a big meeting is about to be held at Aqueduct as it hosts races usually run at Belmont Park. Life Is Good will face four rivals in the G1 2022 Woodward Stakes, and nothing else but a victory is expected of him here, while the situation is much more complicated in the G3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes. In the field of thirteen sprinters, almost every participant wouldn’t cause a huge upset when scoring it.
Woodward
A field of five three-year-olds and older will clash in this $500,000 G1 race over a mile and half a furlong. On the dirt surface, the most carrying participant will be four-year-old Life Is Good, trained by Todd Pletcher, and quite deservedly so. The son of Into Mischief bloomed into a real star in 2021. Although he didn’t aim at the Kentucky Derby and other Classic races, he drew on his Graded victories in the second part of the season as Life Is Good was second in the G1 H. Allen Jerkins Memorial Stakes.
Then he triumphed in the G2 Kelso Handicap, and signed off with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. In 2022, Life Is Good shined bright in the Pegasus World Cup, while he once again proved not to be suited by the mile and a quarter when finishing fourth in the Dubai World Cup. Since then, the bay colt scored the G2 John A. Nerud Stakes and Whitney Stakes; therefore, he needs to be the number one contestant in this event, even though he’ll carry the biggest weight.
Five-year-old Informative will have a bit less as he won his most recent start, too, but at the G3 scene. The Uriah St. Lewis bound bay bagged the Philip H. Iselin Stakes back then, recording his second Graded victory in total. Before that, Informative wasn’t really successful even among the lesser competition, including Allowance races; however, he’s capable of springing some surprises from time to time.
Still, he should be no match for Life Is Good, which also applies to Keepmeinmind, yet he looks like the most serious threat for the favourite. He’s his stable mate, though. This four-year-old colt has enjoyed some Graded glory, given he finished second in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity in 2020 and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, while in 2021, he earned some money both in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Subsequently, he was second in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes, by which he sort of cemented himself as a very decent Graded performer with a solid future; however, he hadn’t hit the track from last year’s August until this July. Upon his return, Keepmeinmind won an Allowance easily but didn’t impress among the elite.
He might have needed that race, so he should be considered the best of the rest here, but the remaining duo of participants look interesting, too. Thomas Shelby scored smoothly an Allowance last time out, with Law Professor being the victor of the last year’s G2 Mathis Mile Stakes, who triumphed in a Listed in September.
2022 Woodward Stakes Betting Prediction
Life Is Good, as none of his rivals has shown enough class to better him here.
| HORSE | JOCKEY | ODDS BY JAZZSPORTS |
| Life Is Good | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | -900 |
| Law Professor | Jose L. Ortiz | +800 |
| Thomas Shelby | Dylan Davis | +1500 |
| Keepmeinmind | Joel Rosario | +600 |
| Informative | Dexter Haddock | +1500 |
Belmont Turf Sprint
The purse of $200,000 attracted a competitive field of thirteen three-year-old and older horses who will cover the distance of six furlongs. It’s difficult to pick the participant who has the most significant chance to score in this G3 turf event; for example, Arzak looked like an up-and-coming sprinter after bagging the G3 Jacques Cartier Stakes in May, upon which he finished a gallant second in the G2 Highlander Stakes.
The Michael Trombetta bound four-year-old chestnut then didn’t show much in the G3 Troy Stakes, and even though his following sixth place among G2 competition wasn’t entirely bad, his couple of recent efforts was slightly disappointing. Arzak shouldn’t be discarded in this race; however, he’ll carry the biggest weight here together with seven-year-old Chewing Gum.
William Mott waited until the ongoing season to see his trainee scoring at the Graded stage as the bay horse used to place sometimes, but his first huge victory came on the 1st of January 2022. Chewing Gum delivered in the G2 Joe Hernandez Stakes, upon which he hit the track twice and didn’t repeat such an effort. He should be suited by the drop in the class, yet the weight might stop him.
Regarding the less carrying contestants, Thin White Duke looks interesting. The David Donk trained four-year-old collected two black-type victories as a junior, while in 2021, he didn’t really draw on those successes, so he achieved another win in an Allowance race only in April. His next performances weren’t anything special, though, and it lasted until August when Thin White Duke delivered his best effort yet by finishing third in the G3 Troy Stakes.
Back then, he bettered even Arzak, which could’ve been just a fluke, but he affirmed his progress when scoring a Listed in September. Dancing Buck had to settle for second place back then, but on Saturday, he could actually turn the tables on his rival as this time he’ll carry less weight, which should show. The Michelle Nevin bound four-year-old has been promising since the beginning of his career and gradually triumphed in a maiden and some Allowance races until he entered the Listed waters.
His premiere was quite solid, and similar is expected of him in the Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes. The last couple to mention is a black-type winner, another possibly progressive participant, Nothing Better, and the least carrying contestant named Value Proposition.
Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes Betting Pick
Dancing Buck, whose results suggest there could still be something more about him that he has yet to show.
| HORSE | HORSE | ODDS BY JAZZSPORTS |
| Noble Emotion | Trevor McCarthy | +2000 |
| Arzak | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | +400 |
| Nothing Better | Jairo Rendon | +1200 |
| Seven Scents | Javier Castellano | +1500 |
| Yes and Yes | Dylan Davis | +1000 |
| Voodoo Zip | Joel Rosario | +500 |
| Thin White Duke | Jose L. Ortiz | +450 |
| Value Proposition (GB) | Eric Cancel | +2000 |
| Fauci | Flavien Prat | +1500 |
| Dancing Buck | Manuel Franco | +600 |
| Chewing Gum | Jose Lezcano | +800 |
| Scuttlebuzz | Kendrick Carmouche | +1000 |
| Greeley and Ben | TBA | +300 |
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