Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Sunday Picks

Overview: Due to excessive rainfall, Saturday’s two Grade 1 turf races were moved to Sunday, which includes the Manhattan (G1). Additionally, the race has been moved to the inner turf course and will be run at the 9 furlong or 1 1/8-mile distance. The shift to the inner turf course does not change the complexion of the race and the shorter distance might play slightly against a few horses that are more accustomed to more ground, but the half-furlong shift is negligible. The biggest potential issue for the race is the post position of #9 Far Bridge (3/1) who is a top contender, but dislikes being outside and prefers to make his move on the rail and through tight spots. How he can get over to the rail could have a lot to do with whether he is able to get the win.

#2 Integration (9/2) – The Shug McGaughey trainee is still looking for a signature win despite being a three-time graded stakes winner. Sunday could be that day as he is reunited with jockey Flavien Prat who rode him to his last victory in the Red Smith (G2) last November at Aqueduct. The son of Quality Road always had talent and won his first three starts and nearly won the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) in January at Gulfstream Park, but was nabbed by Spirit of St Louis late. His two subsequent starts since that effort in South Florida have not been stellar as he was a distant second to Carl Spackler and then a disappointing seventh in the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs. However, the nine furlongs should suit him nicely and the fact he can sit a mid-pack or tracking trip is incredibly useful on a turf course that is drying out after taking a significant amount of rain over the last 48 hours. At his best, he is more than capable of beating this field and throwing up a Beyer Speed Figure that can be a Grade 1-winning one.

#4 Carson’s Run (12/1) – One of three horses from trainer Miguel Clement, Carson’s Run is a two-time Grade 1 winner, but lacks the respect given to many others in this field because he has not run big Beyer Speed Figures to this point in his career. He is more of a deep closer and coming off a runner-up effort to his stablemate Deterministic in the Fort Marcy (G2), but that was his first race of 2025 as he hadn’t raced in over six months. Now he is second back from the layoff and should move forward to turn the tables on Deterministic and others. The other promising news is that one of his best efforts was over a “good” turf course at Saratoga last year when he took the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), so he can handle some give in the ground, which seems likely for tomorrow. Jockey Dylan Davis has continued to run well during this abbreviated week at Saratoga and the May 30 workout over the turf course up here shows that he has plenty of pep after clicking off four furlongs in 48.4 seconds.

#6 Spirit of St Louis (5/2) – Another two-time Grade 1 winner, the New York bred has blossomed since moving up from facing NY-bred company to the graded stakes world. He likely benefits the most from the race being cut back a half furlong as he does his best running between eight and nine furlongs. Jockey Manny Franco stays aboard after guiding him to victory in the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs. He does not hold a significant speed figure advantage over the rest of the field, but the horse likes to win as he is 11-16 in his career winding up in the winner’s circle, however, he is only 1-3 winning at Saratoga with a pair of runner-up finishes, so perhaps this is the best place to try and beat him. There is no doubt that he is the horse to beat, but you must question the price you are willing to take on him relative to his chances of winning the race. While he generally comes from further back, he does possess enough tactical speed to sit closer to the pace if necessary. Breaking from the six post should give Manny Franco plenty of chances to work out a comfortable position going into the first turn. He is a tough customer, but I will try to beat him up top in this race.

#9 Far Bridge (3/1) – The son of English Channel is a fantastic horse with loads of talent who has captured five graded stakes races including three Grade 1s during his career. However, if there is a quirk that Far Bridge has, it is that he does not like to run outside and prefers to be on the rail and covered up in order to make an inside run in the stretch. Jockey Joel Rosario has seemingly fit the horse like a glove as the Hall of Fame jockey is known for staying on the rail. Few ride the turf better than Rosario, but the outside post position might present some issues as the horse will be in the clear and outside of horses early in the race. He is third back in the form cycle and should continue to move forward after earning 96 and then 99 Beyer Speed Figure in his first two efforts. If he had drawn further inside, he would have been my top pick, without a doubt. However, the outside post draw makes me tempted to fade him from my win bets. The one thing to keep in mind is that he can sit a few different types of trips, but I believe that he will likely be sitting mid-pack when travelling nine furlongs as his gate-to-wire efforts often came when running in marathons with less pace.