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Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park

Dave Bond, OTB Writer

Las Vegas, NV - The 19th running of the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes is on tap for the undercard of the Belmont Stakes this Saturday June 9th. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will race 1 mile on Belmont Park's Widener turf course for their share of the $500,000 purse.

A group of seven females will take part in race 8 on the Belmont Stakes card. Post time for the race is 3:59 PM. Let's take a look at the seven entries and the results that brought them to one of the three Grade 1 races on the Saturday schedule.

Horse Racing Rebates

2012 Just A Game Stakes Race Favorites

Winter Memories - has looked terrific in her 10 career starts - seven wins, one second and two fourth place finishes. The wins include the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes on this track in September, the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes here in October 2010 and the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont last time out on May 5th. She has two other Grade 2 victories and another Grade 3 score on her resume. Winter Memories is four-for-four on Belmont turf and is the horse to beat in this one!

Hungry Island - has gone up against Winter Memories four times with mixed results. She did have a win last summer versus her Just A Game rival in the Grade 2 Lake Placid and she is coming of an impressive win the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Mile - so Hungry Island is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Just A Game Stakes 2012 | Remaining Field Entries

Tapitsfly - was a serious up-and-comer as a two year old capping off a terrific season with a win at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita but has struggled since then. Last year Tapitsfly won only one of nine races - an allowance at Gulfstream. 2012 has been a tad better a third at the Marshua's River stakes was followed by an impressive yet surprising score in the Grade 3 Honey Fox followed by a third at the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley and most recently a second at the Grade 1 Churchill Distaff to Hunger island. If Tapitsfly is regaining her form, and it appears as though she is, she could be dangerous.

Wallis - will make her fourth North American start after a decent career in England. Wallis debuted on this track in October with a second in the Stormy West Stakes and followed it up with a win in another minor stakes - the Spice Island at Aqueduct in November. In her graded stakes debut on January 7th, Wallis finished a distant eighth in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes.

Just A Game Stakes betting at Belmont Park with OffTrackBetting.com

Up in Time - is no stranger to graded stakes action - she has races eight straight with a win in the Grade 3 Harold Ramser Sr. Stakes at Santa Anita in October being the highlight. Up in Time had a second in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Handicap this year but followed that with a disappointing seventh last time out in the Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park on April 29th.

Dancinginherdreams - Bill Mott trained Dancinginherdreams finished 2010 and began 2011 strong with a pair of seconds in the Davona Dale and Forward Gal Stakes and a win in the Grade 2 Pocahontas but since then has concentrated on Allowance and minor stakes races. She has won two of last three Allowance Optional Claiming races she`s entered if that's any consolation!

Sylvestris - Was OK in Britain before debuting with a sixth in an Allowance at Aqueduct. Her two starts since have resulted in a fourth in an Allowance and a win last time out in an Allowance Optional Claiming in this track May 11th.


2012 Just A Game Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Belmont Park's Saturday card with a Post Time of 3:59 PM.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer ML Odds
1 Tapitsfly R. Dominguez D. Romans
3-1
2 Sylvestris (IRE) M. Smith R. Barbara
20-1
3 Wallis (GB) J. Lezcano C. Clement
15-1
4 Winter Memories J. Castellano J. Toner
6-5
5 Hungry Island J. Velazquez C. McGaughey III
5-2
6 Dancinginherdreams C. Nakatani W. Mott
12-1
7 Up In Time (GB) J. Rosario S. Callaghan
12-1

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