Belmont Payday

I didn't have a chance to handicap the Belmont until around 5 p.m. this afternoon, but I handicapped it well. I really liked Summer Bird who had shown big Beyer leaps prior to a wide trip on a sloppy track in the crowded Derby. I decided to go ahead and bet against Mine That Bird and key Summer Bird on top with a $5 Summer Bird over the field exacta, $5 Summer Bird over Mine That Bird, Charitable Man and Dunkirk in a targeted exacta and a $5 trifecta with Summer Bird over Mine That Bird, Charitable Man and Dunkirk in the place and show slots.

I also hedged with Mine That Bird on top of those other horses.

Needless to say, I hit the exacta for $10 and the trifecta for $5 for a $1,342.50 haul, my biggest ever by far.

Ummm....sorry I didn't get my picks posted Friday. After our dismal Derby and Preakness performances (I threw out a Rachel Alexandra-Mine That Bird-FIELD trifecta because "it wouldn't pay anything"), I wasn't in a big hurry to look a fool again.