Daily Racing Form handicapper Mike Beer delivers his full card race-by-race analysis, best bet of the day, and expert picks for Friday, June 12, 2026, for Belmont at the Big A.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Voodoo Doll (9th race)
Ninth Race
1. Voodoo Doll
2. Capital Partner
3. Print
VOODOO DOLL held his ground in behind the lead, then finished strongly to outkick a rival rallying with momentum in the synthetic debut; fired another good one to win his turf debut last time; appears to have some talent, and he gives off the impression that more distance will not be an issue. CAPITAL PARTNER was rated under a hold early, then finished gamely to close down maidens in a well-meant debut as a 2yo; made each of his next two starts in graded stakes company, and ran pretty well both times; Lasix on and Prat returns for the 3yo debut. PRINT earned the top figure of his career breaking his maiden on dirt two starts back; returned to turf to face other winners last time and ran well again while only second-best to stakes-bound Arizona Territory.
Here are Mike’s thoughts on the other nine races on Friday’s Belmont at the Big A racing card.
First Race
1. Five Wishes
2. Special Ops
3. Life Is Gravy
FIVE WISHES showed speed in two tough MSW fields to begin his career in Florida; was given a bit of class relief for the NY debut, and he had little trouble winning that race with an 84 Beyer; perfect post to make his first start against other winners. SPECIAL OPS has improved since being turned back to sprint for his last three starts, including the blowout maiden win two back at Oaklawn; improved to a field-best 86 Beyer when coming up short of the streaking Two Seven O last time. LIFE IS GRAVY lacked speed before gaining too late in the debut late last year; was much more engaged early en route to winning his second start; broke slowly and was climbing through kickback before getting outrun again in his 3yo debut, but he put in another good finish in that spot; getting better with racing; looking to improve in his second start off the layoff again.
Second Race
1. Trail of Gold
2. Kiamba
3. Swiss Moon
TRAIL OF GOLD steadied at the start and raced unsettled early behind Sandtrap in her return from the layoff; trailed and failed to make a late impact in a NY-bred stakes race at Saratoga nine days ago, but they were sprinting home in that spot; she packs a strong closing kick when she can get some pace to come after, and she ran well over this distance last September. KIAMBA was a stakes winner and twice Group 3-placed while concentrating on longer distances last year in France; she looked a little fresh off the layoff in the early stages of her stateside debut when facing Grade 3 company, and she just finished evenly in that spot; the one to beat as she steps down in class and adds Lasix. SWISS MOON was placed first in her debut last August, before coming right back to win outright 15 days later in allowance company; second off the layoff and stretching out after failing as the favorite in her stateside debut.
Third Race
1. Peak Hype
2. Opulent Restraint
3. Unreasonable
PEAK HYPE fired a good one from the back to break her maiden last August at Saratoga; she endured an unlucky trip the first time she faced other winners, then came wide and finished strongly once again to close down allowance rivals in her next start; rates the benefit of the doubt for the Pebbles when last seen, as she got stuck wide around the track in that spot; has flashed some real ability for top connections. OPULENT RESTRAINT was a stakes winner of this course and distance early on, and she was Grade 1-placed twice while trained by Chad Brown as a 3yo; has switched barns since last seen; she owns good speed, and figures tough if just holding her form for the new barn as she races with Lasix for the first time. UNREASONABLE never had a real chance after losing early position in her NY debut for this trainer last June; pulled a much better trip and scored with an 85 Beyer in her next start, and she has run well in both starts since; steps back in distance for her second start back from the layoff.
Fourth Race
1. Hey Cookie
2. Howling Wind
3. Princess Ny
HEY COOKIE is 0-7 since being claimed out of a win last summer at Saratoga by these connections, though she has hit the board three times, and she has caught a couple of wet, sealed tracks recently; owns a top race that makes her competitive once again, and she is tactical from the rail. HOWLING WIND scored in an off-turf race last time, though she ran well there while coming wide from last, and she had previously been holding her own in some tough state-bred allowance races; back quickly again while in good form. PRINCESS NY scored off the claim for Rice in January, and she has paired-up Beyer tops in her last two starts while finishing second both times; tries again.
Embed from Getty ImagesFifth Race
1. Dimensionality
2. Samartina
3. Key Actress
DIMENSIONALITY has been hampered by a lack of early speed while going 0-6 on turf to this point, though she has also faced much tougher than this in all of those starts; looking for a trip from the rail as she gets a needed drop in class. SAMARTINA finished second behind odds-on winners in both starts in France last summer; she disappointed in her stateside debut when sent off as the favorite, then was sent to Canada to try synthetic before the layoff; starts back on the drop. KEY ACTRESS blew a clear stretch lead when dropped to this level to make her return from the layoff last month for Maker; looks dangerous as the main speed once again in this field,
Sixth Race
1. Ghost Me
2. Just Peachy
3. Last Soiree
GHOST ME is by 13% turf sprint sire Ghostzapper (10% with first-time starters); the dam was a Grade 3 winner sprinting on synthetic with a 94 Beyer, and she was also a debut winner, and this filly is a half-sister to Pop Idol, who was a stakes winner with an 88 Beyer sprinting on turf last year for Weaver – first-time starter, turf, sprint: 10 for his last 36, 28%, $3.55 ROI. JUST PEACHY got in a start over course and distance last month, where she finished a clear second behind a heavily favored Wesley Ward runner that had shipped up from Kentucky with a start under her belt already; owns the experience edge this time. LAST SOIREE is a homebred by new sire Life Is Good (4 for 9 with first-time starters so far, this will be his first turf starter); the dam is an unrace sister to Grade 1 turf winner Force the Pass, and her two winning foals to date are both turf sprint winners.
Seventh Race
1. Screaming Uncle
2. Dot’s Dollar
3. Sanzio
SCREAMING UNCLE looked like he needed the first start off the claim and layoff in March when showing speed and fading; he was more competitive in each of his next two starts, and has been showing speed going longer more recently; turns back. DOT’S DOLLAR is at his best on the lead these days, as he showed when shaking loose and wiring a field three starts back with an 84 Beyer; might be able to clear the lead once again in this spot. SANZIO parlayed a perfect trip into an upset win when turned back to sprint on this track earlier this year; he hasn’t been competitive since, though he tried getting through his second-level allowance condition twice on dirt in April, and his last three starts have been either in the slop or on turf; turns back again.
Eighth Race
1. Mr R T
2. Restless Renegade
3. Dare Defying
MR R T ran well twice going this distance earlier in the year while involved on the pace; tried moving up in class when cut back to sprint in April, then tried routing on turf to no avail; stretching back out on dirt after failing to get into contention sprinting last time. RESTLESS RENEGADE earned a field-best 74 Beyer last September in Kentucky, then was claimed out of his nest start by Linda Rice; made his first two starts in NY over the mile, where he faded late after contesting the pace; had the $40k claim voided when last seen; tries again following a brief freshening. DARE DEFYING made both dirt starts to begin his career around two turns, and he got in tough in the debut against Out of the Woods (92 Beyer for that MSW victory, then won his next start with a 93); turf to dirt and drops to the lowest level yet.
Tenth Race
1. Big Destroyer
2. He’s My Kind
3. Bremen
BIG DESTROYER is by the versatile sire Midshipman (13% with first-time starters); the dam posted all eight of her career wins on turf, and this gelding is a half-brother to a debut winner on the grass; has some solid breezes showing for an excellent first-out barn. HE’S MY KIND owns an experience edge on his stablemate, and he was the lone firster in that field on debut, where he gained late ground into favored Grunge, who is also trained by Clement; well-bred colt can put that experience to use as he breaks from the rail this time. BREMEN is a homebred son of Hamilton’s excellent racemare Hungry Island, who was a multiple Grade 2 winner, and multiple Grade 1-placed on turf; her first five foals to start are all winners; bred to go longer, but starts out sprinting for Shug with a sharp half-mile from the gate showing.
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