$300,000 Empire Classic Headlines Stakes-Heavy Belmont Card

The mile and an eighth classic features a competitive field of eight led by 2/1 morning line favorite Saratoga Snacks who has seven wins in fourteen lifetime starts for earnings of nearly half a million dollars.  The Bill Mott trainee has shown an affinity for the Belmont dirt winning four of six starts there and a second place finish, but will try to snap a four-race losing streak.  In his last start, Saratoga Snacks finished sixth in an allowance race at Belmont behind two of his Empire Classic rivals, but that was after an extremely rough trip where he checked and had his progress impeded in the stretch. Saratoga Snacks will regain the services of jockey Joel Rosario.  

Rapidly improving colt takes on elders

Sioux is the 5/2 second choice for trainer Michael Hushion after an impressive allowance score September 28 at Belmont.  In that race, Sioux set fast fractions and drew away in the stretch going a mile to post a 99 Beyer Speed Figure – the best last-race Beyer of any horse in the field.  Sioux has not raced further than a mile in five career races, but his pedigree suggests that more ground is well within the scope of the rapidly improving three year-old.

Distance no problem for So Lonesome  

So Lonesone (5/1), took the $250,000 Albany by four lengths in his last start at a mile and an eighth and appears to be in sharp form for trainer Thomas Bush.