Belmont at the Big A: Thursday 6/19 Plays - Pete's Picks

Little Pete
Jun 19, 2025
3 min read

Belmont at the Big A continues on this Thursday with eight scheduled with no feature. I will be condensing my plays down to just the numbers and attacking the early double starting in R2 (Races 1 & 2) and a spot pick 3 (Races 3-5. Big Pete will attack his "Play of the Day" and the late pick 3 (Races 6-8). We appreciate you taking a look at this write-up and GOOD LUCK.

Little Pete's $ 5.00 Early Double:

R1: 1, 4

R2: 2, 5 Cost: $ 20.00

Little Pete's $ 1.00 Spot Pick 3:

R3: 1, 3, 5

R4: 1, 6

R5: 2, 3, 7 Cost: $ 18.00

Big Pete's $ 1.00 Late Pick 3:

R6: 3, 5, 6

R7: 4, 6, 7

R8: 7, 8, 9, 12 Cost: $ 36.00

Big Pete's "Play of the Day":

Race 3:

The three contenders exited the same race back on May 15th, and they were within three lengths of each other. Blue Eyed Scout and Bussia handled the off track better than (3) LAST MANGO, and she didn't break well again. She has a problem getting out of the gate, and I'm guessing the jock switch to Irad can help with that. She keeps coming at the end, so if Irad can get position out of the gate, she will be a threat through the lane. The extra distance will help, as there is plenty of speed entered to set up her late kick.

I’ll use (1) Entry and (5) Bussia underneath for the exacta.

$ 7.00 WPS 3 Cost $ 21.00

$ 3.00 Ex Box 1, 3, 5 Cost $ 18.00

We’ll also use (3) Last Mango in R3 and try to cash in on a Daily Double.

(1) Inesperee or (5) Our Prosperity in the 4th.

$ 7.00 Daily Double 3 w/ 1, 5 Cost $ 14.00

Big Pete's Late Pick 3:

Race 6:

(6) ALWAYS ANGELS ships in and attracts Irad. She's been facing better for most of her career as she drops slightly here. The 1-for-13 record over the last two years is a problem, but she may have found the right spot. Atras claimed (3) WILL BE FAMOUS last time as she's been in several barns this year. She jumped up in class last time and almost got there. Now they put her where she belongs, and she looks solid once again. I like the switch to Prat on (5) WILLOW BEND. They were aggressive to try better at the Spa last time, but she couldn't handle that group. She wasn't far from Famous when they met, but more speed is signed on, so that will help her late run.

$ 7.00 WPS 5 Cost $ 21.00

$ 3.00 Ex 3, 5 w/ 3, 5, 6, 8 Cost $ 18.00

Race 7:

(7) DATAMAN has some of the highest speed figures of this bunch, but they were recorded last year. He's yet to be close to those numbers this year. Moving back to turf will help. Brown has the pacemaker, (6) EXACT ESTIMATE in here with not a lot of company. Prat takes over, and they figure to be tough on the lead. (4) STRONG QUALITY moves back to the turf where she belongs. She took some time off after tackling G1 runners late summer and came off the bench with a quality run. She tired late and then tried the slop last time. Both races under her belt should have her ready as she is well spotted today.

$ 7.00 WPS 4 Cost $ 21.00

$ 3.00 Ex Box 4, 6, 7 Cost $ 18.00

Race 8:

(12) ARTISTIC SUCCESS is the one to beat; either one of her races last year should be enough. The question is... is she ready in her 2025 debut? We'll use her but try to beat her with (8) GATTATIZ. Bond switches back to Johnny V and goes L1 for her first try this year. She has shown speed and then backs up late. The medication may help with that as she works fast in the AM. (7) INFLAMMABELLE will provide some early foot and opts for Rosario. If they forget about her up front, they may not catch her. (9) GOOD MISSION tries turf for the first time and collects checks. She's playable.