2017 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - The G3 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational comes our way this Friday, June 9 from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A purse of $400,000 will be on the line for horses four years old and upward willing to go two miles on Belmont Park's turf track.

A large field of 13 will give it a go in the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes - race 10 on Belmont Park's stacked Friday schedule. Post time is 5:46 PM. Let's take a peek into the past performances of all 13 combatants for this intriguing G3 stakes - six of which come from Europe.

2017 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Entries at Belmont Park

Wicklow Brave

British bred William Mullins trained gelding has 10 wins, three seconds and five third place finishes in 32 career starts. He enters off a nice win in the minor Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle April 28 and two ugly results including a twenty-second in the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup. Before that was a career-best win in the Group 1 Irish St. Leger in September and a respectable third in the Group 3 Lonsdale Cup in August. Wicklow Brave has certainly been competitive at time and will chase a second straight stakes win in his North American debut. Javier Castellano will be in the irons from gate 12.

Taghleeb

Michael Maker trainee has six wins, five seconds and four third place finishes in 27 career starts. He made his graded stakes debut in October and finished seventh in the G1 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine and followed that with a fourth in the G3 River City Stakes at Churchill Downs November 24. He posted a nice win in the minor $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes on at Gulfstream December 31 and followed that with another terrific win on that track - in record time for two miles in the G3 WL McKnight Handicap January 28. Last time out was an OK second in the G1 Man o' War Stakes on this track May 13 after a bit of a step back - a fourth in the G2 Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream April 1. Taghleeb chases his third stakes win in five starts Friday and to snap a mini-two race losing streak from post 11 with Jose Ortiz scheduled to ride.

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Clondaw Warrior

Irish bred William Mullins trained gelding has 12 wins, seven seconds and seven third place finishes in 45 career starts. He placed in seven of eight starts in 2016 including three stakes wins at home but hasn't looked all that great more recently. Last time out was a ninth in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at home April 27 after a sixth in the Sun Bets Stayers Hurdle in March and an OK third in the John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle in January. He also had a runner-up in the G3 American St Leger in his only US start. Clondaw Warrior has yet to record a Group/Graded stakes score in his career and hopes to change all of that Friday from post 5. John Velazquez rides.

Now We Can

Defending runner-up in this race - British bred Nicholas Clement trained gelding has seven wins, three seconds and four third place finishes in 22 career starts. He enters off an OK fourth in the Group 3 Prix de Barberville April 30 in France, an eighth in the Group 1 HH The Emirs Trophy at Doha in February and a third in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris in October. He did hit the board in seven of his eight starts in 2016 but has slumped a tad this year. He hopes to better his runner-up finish in this race last year when he departs from post 3 with Julien Leparoux aboard.

Red Cardinal

Lightly raced Andreas Wohler trained Irish bred gelding has placed in all eight career starts - four wins, three seconds and a third-place finish. He makes her North American debut Friday off a career-best effort - a win in the Group 2 Comer Group International Oleander-Rennen in Germany May 14. Before that was a runner-up finish in a Group 1 race in Germany in September, a third in a Group 3 race in England in August and three straight wins last summer. Red Cardinal has been impressive indeed and hopes his success overseas translates this weekend. Eduardo Pedroza will be in the saddle from gate 10.

St Michel

British bred Sir Mark Prescott trained colt has placed in 10 of 14 career starts - four wins, four seconds and two third place finishes. He makes his North American debut Friday off a second in a stakes at Chelmsford City May 10, seven months away and an ugly seventeenth in October. Before that was a good second in the Group 2 Doncaster Cup September 9 and a two-race win streak. He has hit the board in nine of his last 10 starts overall and will be after a first Group/Graded stakes win from the outside post 13. Irad Ortiz will be in the reins.

Wall of Fire

Has 11 career starts for trainer Hugo Palmer with four wins and a runner-up finish. He won three of four races last summer and went on to a sixth in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March. He had a second in the Totepool Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes April 12 and most recently was fourth in the Group 3 Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes at Chester May 12. Wall of Fire makes his North American debut in decent form and will have Florent Geroux guiding him from gate 4.

Renown

British bred Elizabeth Voss trained gelding has seven wins and a third-place finish in 12 career starts. He enters on a terrific three race win streak - the minor Secretariat Stakes last time out at Great Meadow May 6, the G3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland October 20 and the minor Laurel Turf Cup September 10. Before that was an OK third in the minor John's Call Stakes at Saratoga August 24 and another win in the minor Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park in July. Renown has won four of his last five starts overall - in terrific form for this weekend and will have Angel Cruz in the saddle from gate 2.

Bullards Alley

Won the G3 Louisville Handicap in May, 2016 for trainer Tim Glyshaw but has placed in just three of 11 starts since. He enters on the heels of an OK third in the G3 Louisville Handicap at Fair Grounds May 20 (he won that race in 2016). It followed a sixth in the G2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland April 22 and consecutive fourth place finishes - the G3 Muniz Memorial Handicap April 1 and the G3 Fair Grounds Handicap February 25. Before that was an eighth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Fair Grounds February 4, a seventh in the G3 River City Handicap at Churchill Downs in November and an OK third in the G3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland in October. Bullards Alley now has five wins, three seconds and six third place finishes in 30 career starts and will be out to snap an 11-race losing streak from post 9. Marceline Pedroza has the mount from post 9.

Farz

Has three wins, a second and two third place finishes in 10 career starts for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He made his graded stakes debut last time out and finished fourth in the G3 Fort Marcy Stakes on this track May 6 after two straight Allowance Optional Claiming scores - both at Gulfstream Park. He posted consecutive thirds in the winter in Allowance Optional Claiming races as well. Farz has been decent the last six months and will be after a career-best effort from gate 6 Friday. Jose Lezcano has been tabbed to ride.

Roman Approval

David Cannizzo trainee has 40 career starts with nine wins, 16 seconds and five third place finishes. He was at his best at the beginning of 2016 when he posted consecutive runner-up finishes in the G3 Colonel ER Bradley Handicap in January and the G3 Fair Grounds Handicap in February - he hasn't been all that great since. Last time out was an Allowance Optional Claiming score however which followed a ninth in the G2 Muniz Memorial Handicap at Fair Grounds April 1, an eleventh in the G3 River City Handicap at Churchill Downs in November and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Belmont Park in October. Roman Approval tries for a first ever stakes score Friday and enters in typically inconsistent form. Joel Rosario gets the call from gate 8.

Hunter O'Riley

Has placed in nine of 13 career starts for trainer James Toner - three wins, two seconds and four third place finishes. He made his graded stakes debut in January and finished sixth in the G3 WL McKnight Handicap at Gulfstream and has just one start since - an Allowance score at Keeneland April 27. Before that were consecutive thirds in minor stakes action - the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Gulfstream December 31 and the Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct November 24. He also had an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Belmont Park October 23 and a third and a second respectively in another pair of Allowance Optional Claiming races. Hunter O'Riley has placed in six of seven races ahead of this weekend and hopes for a breakthrough in graded stakes company. Mike Smith has the mount from the rail.

Wayward Kitten

Has just two wins in 17 career starts for trainer Wesley Ward to go along with five seconds and six third place finishes. He enters on the heels of consecutive thirds in Allowance races in April after a tenth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream in February and a fourth in the minor Prairie Bayou Stakes at Turfway Park in December. His best career result came in 2015 when he finished third in the G3 Jefferson Cup at Churchill Downs. Wayward Kitten has been largely uninspiring the last nine or so months and will be after a first stakes score from post 7. Luis Saez will be in the irons.

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2017 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Odds & Entries

Race 10 on Belmont Park's Friday card with a Post Time of 5:46 PM.