Alright passengers, it’s finally Belmont Stakes weekend up at Saratoga. The forecast looks better than expected and the Conductor is licking his chops as long as the races stay on the turf. Today isn’t the greatest betting card, but Friday and Saturday are fresh meat. The Conductor does like a bomb in the Gold Cup. Let’s Ride.

Race 5: 5½ Furlongs. (Turf) F.S.Mdn 85k

#8 Beautiful Thief ( 12/1) – This is a wide open maiden race with a pretty weak field in the Conductor’s opinion. This 1st time starter has a solid work tab and debuts for trainer Peter Gulyas, who is 0/4 this year. However, Peter’s last 1st timer on turf scored at 17/1. Whenever Castellano hops aboard for a small barn, the Conductor takes a closer look. His jockey agent seems to know when a small outfit has one ready to fire on debut.

Race 10: 2 Miles. (Inner Turf) G2 Belmont Gold Cup Stakes

*Gullet Shot of the Day #6 Champagne Juan (15/1) – 2 miles is a unique distance in America and last years winner, #12 Siskany will certainly be a heavy favorite. Although he is a likely winner, he’ll be a major overlay. The Conductor will take a swing with #6 Champagne Juan, a developing 4-year-old improving with each start. He showed real ability in his win in an allowance race at Keeneland last time. He got a good ground saving trip, but when he went to make his move at the top of the stretch, the hole closed and he had to check. Champagne Juan was able to gather himself and still re-rally to win comfortably. That in not an easy thing to do going 1 1/2 mile and is a good sign that he’ll be able to handle this marathon distance at Saratoga. At 15/1 he can fill up the caboose with ample coal to do some serious damage this weekend.

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