Belmont Saturday

In the 6th, Titan of Industry (4-1) looks to make it three in a row for trainer Richard Violette Jr., showing signs of life here after a miserable start to the meet. He's 2-1-2 with his last seven starters, with that second being a narrow loss yesterday with the returning Credit Limit at 6-1. This four-year old gelded son of Giant's Causeway is an interesting case; highly thought of early in his career when plunged straight into stakes company, Violette claimed him back for Klaravich Stable for 60K one race after losing him for 35K at Saratoga last summer. He slipped him by for the latter price at Gulfstream in his successful four-year old debut, and then won a starters allowance here off a layoff with a career and field high 93 Beyer in his last. Showed good determination getting up in these last two, and may have finally figured this thing out (though Garcia, on board for both, is at Colonial today, replaced by Sameeeeen on the green). Yankee Empire (5-1) graduated two back; the second, third, and fourth place finishers all came back to win. Drops to allowance company after an even effort behind a trio of nice looking three-year olds in an overnight stakes for that age group. I think that this son of Empire Maker would be good value at his 5-1 morning line for Barclay Tagg, in a mini-slump at 0 for 9 but still hitting at 24% for the meet.

So yeah, George Weaver, who I'd been talking up, took Thursday's feature with Coronation Day at a dead-on-the-board 20-1. And no, I didn't have him. Don't usually wager on work days unless it's a special occasion, and, looking back with 20/20 hindsight at the pp's, not quite sure why this wasn't one of them. I mean, he'd run the same Beyer, in the same class, as the 4-5 favorite Hot Money! Man, this can be an easy game in hindsight. But hopefully, somebody out there cashed a ticket based on my blabbering, which, of course, would make it totally worthwhile for me!

Our Golden Dream ($26.20) took Friday's feature for trainer Tom Bush, having a solid meet at 14 for 52 (27%). This horse had a very similar pattern as Coronation Day, stepping up in class after a good front-running effort on a soft turf in which they both earned competitive Beyers. Perhaps the bettors dismissed both efforts because of the soft turf over which they had run.....they were both significantly lower in the morning line. Don't know if this means anything, but seems worth pointing out.