Longshot of the Day: Race 8 at Belmont At The Big A

Track: Belmont At The Big A

Race 8: $50K maiden claimer going 6 furlongs on outer turf for 3+

Post Time: 4:42 PM ET

Horse: #5 Betta Go Go Go (6/1 morning line). Use as a win bet at 5/1 or higher.

Betting a horse that is 0-13 with 10 in the money finishes is not typically my cup of tea, but Betta Go Go Go can make the argument that he might be able to punch his winning ticket today. First, let’s just start with the surface. He earned two of his best two Beyer Speed Figures (72 and 73) in his only two starts on the grass. The fact he is returning to the turf for only the third time allows one to toss the other starts and focus on those efforts. He hit the board in both of those efforts, once sprinting and the other time going long. Those speed figures stack up and surpass nearly everyone else in the field including #10 Reverend Moon (5/2) who is making the class drop for trainer Christophe Clement. As for Betta Go Go Go, he is an honest horse that rarely runs a bad race and is now making his second start of the Claudio Gonzalez barn. The fact Gonzalez is bringing this horse up from Parx likely speaks to a desire to get him on the turf where he can prosper. The son of Kantharos ran just nine days ago, but wheeling back on short rest is a plus move for Gonzalez who is 18% winning on 1-10-days rest and is amazingly 33% (8-24) winning on that same amount of rest in maiden races. Jockey Eric Cancel picks up the mount for the first time and the key will be to get the horse in good early position as he can be a little one-paced. Getting back on the right surface for a trainer who knows how to get horses turned around in the maiden ranks makes this multiple time runner-up a potential upset candidate today.