Manhattan Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2021 Manhattan Stakes is set for June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Manhattan Stakes Preview and Prediction
- Race: Manhattan Stakes
- Purse: $750,000
- Track: Belmont Park
- Date: June 5
- Post Time: 5:38 PM (ET)
- Live: Manhattan Stakes Odds: Click Here
2021 Manhattan Stakes Handicapping
While the (G1) Belmont Stakes is the feature at Belmont Park on Saturday, the card is loaded with top-notch stakes racing action, with a total of nine Grade 1 or 2 races on tap, offering up almost $6 million in total purse money. After the Breeders’ Cup, this makes Belmont Stakes day the richest day of racing in the US.
Included in those is the (G1) Manhattan Stakes, open to horses age four and older racing 1 1/4 miles on the Belmont turf. The race features a pair of world-class turf runners who last time out battled to a dead heat in the (G1) Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs one month ago.
Odds listed here are morning line odds from the Belmont track handicapper.
2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Colonel Liam Race Odds: 5-2
One half of that dead-heat finish at Churchill, Colonel Liam comes into the Manhattan having won four straight races to run his record to six win and a third-place finish in seven career starts.
He’s a very versatile colt who has won on the dirt as well as on turf rated both good and firm. He’ll be both stretching out in distance from any of his previous races and making his first start in the Belmont grass.
While not a front-running colt, he has enough early speed to track just off the leaders and try to take over as they make the turn for home.
He’s trained by Todd Pletcher, two-time defending race winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is the rider.
2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Domestic Spending Race Odds: 3-1
The other half of that dead-heat finish, Domestic Spending is a lightly raced UK bred who has made all six of his lifetime starts in the US, winning five of those.
Prior to winning the Turf Classic he captured the (G1) Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. He has a late closing style and so should benefit from the distance, although like Colonel Liam this will be his first try going as far as 1 1/4 miles.
He does have a win at 1 3/16 miles, however, and his record includes a previous win on the Belmont turf course.
Trainer Chad Brown has won the race a remarkable six times in the last nine years, including back-to-back in 2019-20. Flavian Prat is the jockey.
2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Gufo Race Odds: 5-1
The ultra-consistent Gufo has finished in the money in every one of his nine lifetime starts with wins in five of those.
Last out he came seven wide and closed like a freight train to just fall a nose short in the (G1) Man O’ War Stakes on the inner turf at Belmont, just behind Channel Cat who he’ll meet here again.
Two starts back he was third but beaten just a half length by Domestic Spending, and back in August 2020 he was beaten just a head by that one in the Saratoga Derby Invitational. In between those he scored a win at the distance in the (G1) Belmont Derby.
Trainer Christophe Clement has three previous Manhattan wins, jockey Joel Rosario looks for his first.
2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Rockemperor Race Odds: 8-1
Second in this race last year, the Irish-bred Rockemperor has been a bit win-shy in his career, with only two victories in 15 lifetime starts.
What does stand out about his record is the fact he’s raced 1 1/4 miles five times and has been in the money in all five with one win, two seconds and two thirds. He has also had some good results on an off track, with a win, a second and third on turf turf courses rated as good.
He’s another Chad Brown trainee, while 2017 race winner Jose Ortiz gets the call to ride.
Here’s My 2021 Manhattan Stakes Free Pick.
This is a very good field and a very tough handicapping race, where the only thing to know for sure is that the race will likely come right down to the wire.
The temptation is to take one of the top two contenders and expect a result very similar to what we saw when they finished on even terms in the Turf Classic. But having said that, I’m going to look for a bit better price and play Gufo for the win.
I think the distance here suits him perfectly and it won’t bother him if Friday thundershowers in New York means the track will be rated only as good on race day. And it’s worth noting that trainer Clement has been on fire at the current NY meet, hitting an eye-catching 28% winners over the past couple weeks at Belmont.
Full Field: Manhattan Stakes Betting Odds
(By post position)
- #1 – City Man 15-1
- #2 – By Bye Melvin 30-1
- #3 – Masterofhounds 20-1
- #4 – Domestic Spending 3-1
- #5 – Master Piece 6-1
- #6 – Rockemperor 8-1
- #7 – Channel Cat 12-1
- #8 – Tribhuven 8-1
- #9 – Gufo 5-1
- #10 – Colonel Liam 5-2
What do you think of our 2021 Manhattan Stakes Race Odds & Predictions? Weigh in below with a comment. We welcome your feedback.
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