Steve Matthews' Belmont at the Big A selections for Sunday, May 11
Best bet: PASSAGE EAST (3)
Best value: BE OF COURAGE (8)
FIRST: Hot Spun will benefit from cutback to 6 furlongs. Into Inspiration could prove very tough on a soft lead. Solutions is a newcomer from the Dave Donk barn that lures John Velazquez away from Todd Pletcher-trained firster; very interesting.
SECOND: Brooklyn Dantz makes quick return and drops; set for wake-up. Danneel owns sprinter's speed and could play out as the controlling front-runner. Focus Pocus also is quick from gate and must be factored into the mix.
THIRD: Passage East tallied swift late-pace figure when winning last at Keeneland; pairs up on Big A loam. Notmysteppingstone looms a big-time wire-to-wire threat; worth long look. Broadway Lights gets claiming price slashed in half; fire sale?
FOURTH: Vesuvio never got going after poor start last time; improvement predicted. Runamor delivered sharp efforts in last two starts; likely underlay. No More Sins should move forward with race under belt; price will be tempting.
FIFTH: Cognoscenti is fresh and will be aided by cutback to shorter route. Before the Wind ships up from Maryland after improved fifth in last; dangerous. English Castle is rested and logs fast figures on best efforts.
SIXTH: Simply Stated is effective from on or off the pace; call based on price potential. Golden Canary should pack amplified wallop with cutback to 6 furlongs. Tazara makes stateside debut for Chad Brown; obviously must be considered.
SEVENTH: Master of Arms consistently delivers strong efforts. War Stride is another that fires big races with machinelike regularity; must respect. Mish ships in for the Saffie Joseph stable; right in the thick of this.
EIGHTH: Be of Courage tallied both wins on Big A sod; more to come. Born Dancer compiled tight work tab for first start since last fall; big effort on tap. Leftembehind hails from Barclay Tagg barn; 1-for-1 when reaching for Katie Davis.
NINTH: My Anticipation packs powerful stretch kick on "A" efforts. More Than Grace could prove very hard to collar on a soft lead. Laylani Lou is from a dam that has thrown three turf winners; follow the money. Mutually Exclusive moves to grass for Chad Brown; likely to attract too much cash.
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