Belmont Park Picks Today: My Top Selection in Every Race for October 9, 2026

I like a card that makes me choose between what a horse has done and what it might do next.

My Belmont Park picks today for Friday, October 9, 2026, revolve around exactly that tension: five turf races, three juvenile maidens, and plenty of runners still writing their racing résumés. I am looking for trips that make sense, and City Blocks gives me my strongest opinion after two emphatic sprint victories, while the grass races demand considerably more imagination. I also see some intriguing bigger-priced contenders in these Belmont Park entries, although an appealing story still needs a horse capable of finishing the job. These picks were made before scratches and race-day changes and assume fast and firm footings. If you want to join the action, you can place your horse-racing bets at BetOnline.

Race 1: La Ceiba brings a French puzzle to the mile

My Pick: #3 La Ceiba (Fr) (Morning line: 4-1)

I give La Ceiba a narrow nod, but this turf mile is a genuine three-way toss-up rather than a race I expect one mare to dominate. Her French record includes a maiden victory at Craon and a later handicap win at Chantilly, both at a mile, so I am interested in a mare who has already finished the job over this distance. The comments describe her taking command late and continuing on, the move I would like Antonio Fresu to preserve instead of spending her energy arguing with the forward runners. I cannot ignore the lengthy absence or assume her first American start will unfold neatly, particularly if she loses position and encounters traffic. My preference is slight, my respect for the opposition substantial, and this opener deserves broader consideration than one name in bold suggests. But at probably longer odds than her main opposition it might be the smart bet in the race.

My alternative: #1 Growth Trajectory (GB) (Morning line: 9-5) offers proven American form, including a third at this allowance level and an earlier mile allowance win. I expect Flavien Prat to have her tracking rather than chasing, a familiar trip that could prove more dependable than La Ceiba's first attempt here.

Race 2: City Blocks has learned to put races away

My Pick: #5 City Blocks (Morning line: 2-1)

City Blocks is my strongest opinion on the card because her last two victories came with the decisive finish I want from a mare tackling tougher company. She drew clear in a claiming sprint and then won her latest six-furlong starter optional claimer by more than five lengths, doing useful work outside horses without surrendering her finish. With Queens Cat inclined to go forward, I want Prat keeping City Blocks within striking distance and moving when the early exertion starts to collect its bill. Linda Rice's mare has disappointed in this state-bred allowance company before, so those wins do not erase the class question or make another strong effort automatic. Still, I prefer a runner arriving off convincing performances to one needing to rediscover a distant victory, and her willingness to draw away is the argument I find hardest to dismiss.

My alternative: #1 Queens Cat (Morning line: 5-1) can make this uncomfortable by repeating the Saratoga allowance victory before her latest defeat. That recent comment mentions bumping and climbing, but I cannot erase the performance; I want a clean break and controlled speed that leaves City Blocks plenty to catch.

Race 3: Suited Connectors gets a different class test

My Pick: #6 Suited Connectors (Morning line: 3-1)

I prefer Suited Connectors here because her two starts came against maiden special-weight company, and the second supplied something more useful than a hopeful pedigree paragraph. She finished third going a mile after weakening late, so seven furlongs gives me a sensible reason to picture her sustaining a rally instead of stretching it through that final furlong. This field lacks abundant established speed, and I want Ricardo Santana Jr. keeping her engaged rather than drifting so far back that a respectable finish accomplishes nothing. Miguel Clement's filly has been away since July, and a class drop cannot do the running if she returns slowly or needs too much time to find her stride. I like a lightly raced runner coming off a step forward, while recognizing that softer company and shorter distance still have to bring a better performance.

My alternative: #3 Sparks Will Fly (Morning line: 7-2) leaves maiden special-weight company after a wide debut without a rally. I can see a more economical trip with Jose Lezcano and second-start improvement helping Linda Rice's filly, but she has more to prove about her finish and the distance.

Race 4: Doves and Hawks can turn experience into a finish

My Pick: #7 Doves and Hawks (Morning line: 2-1)

I give the nod to Doves and Hawks in the 4th because she finished second around two turns despite a debut comment mentioning jostling and green behavior. That Saratoga race introduced her to the job, and I prefer a filly who has encountered turf-route traffic to assuming every newcomer will handle it immediately. Chad Brown keeps her on grass with Prat, and I picture her settling behind the early activity before moving steadily into the race instead of producing a desperate last-second dash. Zipline also wants to finish, so my pick cannot afford another prolonged lesson in manners while a rival is already making her run. The attraction is an encouraging debut with room to become more professional; the danger is treating that improvement as an accomplished fact in a field with several untested fillies.

My alternative: #5 Zipline (Morning line: 6-1) has improved across two turf sprints, most recently finishing fourth after racing wide and encountering a bump. I like Dylan Davis letting her settle and build a sustained run for Mark Casse, but the mile asks a new stamina question.

Race 5: Pineapple Man needs the right version to show up

My Pick: #9 Pineapple Man (Morning line: 7-2)

Pineapple Man gets my reluctant edge, because his recent record could make a patient handicapper talk back to the page. He won a mile claimer decisively in September, then retreated badly in tougher company, so I want this assignment to bring back the horse who could travel close and keep going. Samy Marin needs a useful forward position without making the opening part another expense the horse cannot repay, with Apalta likely to do his better work behind that pressure. The quick return after a poor effort concerns me, and I refuse to dismiss the defeat simply because the previous win is more attractive. This is closely matched, but Pineapple Man's recent success against similar claimers gives me a concrete winning effort to lean on rather than a case built entirely around forgiveness.

My alternative: #1 Apalta (Morning line: 6-1) brings steady dirt-route form, including a third in a comparable claimer after a wide trip. I want him saving ground and rallying if the forward runners overdo it, although his return from a break and need for running room might complicate that plan.

Race 6: Tinian gets more runway, not a free pass

My Pick: #11 Tinian (Morning line: 6-1)

I land on Tinian, but this juvenile turf sprint is a genuine many-horse toss-up, and I would give the surrounding contenders a broader look rather than declare the puzzle solved. His first grass start produced a third after a wide pursuit, improving on his dirt debut and giving me a tangible reason to like him. The extra furlong offers more room to organize a run, and I want Dylan Davis close enough to attack the leaders without an unnecessarily wide chase from his outside starting position. Mark Casse's colt can participate on turf, but he still must turn a respectable pursuit into the move that wins. My edge rests on that more encouraging grass effort and a plausible stalking trip, with the risk that the extra distance or early ground loss leaves him chasing again.

My alternative: #2 Bet On Zion (Morning line: 20-1) is a legitimate longer-priced possibility after improving in his second turf start, with both comments mentioning trouble around the break. I want a cleaner beginning and a patient finish from Rudy Rodriguez's colt, but rough starts do not excuse everything.

Race 7: Market Perception is an upside opinion

My Pick: #12 Market Perception (Morning line: 12-1)

Market Perception makes me put the coffee down and explain myself, because her lone start is no obvious winning recommendation. She finished fourth without a rally in a turf mile after racing wide early, and I am leaning on a better second outing rather than dressing that debut up as a hidden victory. Brown brings the Olympiad filly back with Prat after a regular series of reported workouts, and I want her relaxed behind the action before one sustained move in this sales-restricted maiden optional claimer. The outside draw can make that plan expensive, while All Show could simply be more advanced right now. I like Market Perception's room to progress enough to take the less obvious side (and more attractive price), but she needs genuine improvement and an efficient trip.

My alternative: #9 All Show (Morning line: 9-5) has finished second in a turf sprint and third in a route at this optional-claiming level. I expect Manny Franco to let her settle and finish; she can win by reproducing established form while Market Perception is still catching up.

Race 8: Baseball Lady should make the speed work

My Pick: #4 Baseball Lady (Morning line: 7-2)

I like Baseball Lady to follow up her convincing state-bred allowance win because she showed a mile can suit her when she travels efficiently and responds instead of flattening. That was a marked improvement on the preceding sprint defeats, and I want Kendrick Carmouche recreating the useful forward trip without joining every early challenge. Power of Women supplies a credible pace threat, so I picture my pick sitting just off that rival and asking the decisive question after the leader has done the first round of work. Rice's filly faces an open starter-allowance test, with the risk that her recent win was the top of a good afternoon rather than a repeatable pattern. Even so, I prefer the runner arriving off a sharp effort at the distance to stretching sprint evidence into a story it has not yet told.

My alternative: #2 Power of Women (Morning line: 5-1) won a mile allowance before weakening in the longer Fleet Indian, so shortening back up offers a straightforward rebound. I can see Dylan Davis taking control, but she must ration her speed with Baseball Lady unlikely to leave her unchallenged.

Race 9: Shake Em Off leaves the stakes company behind

My Pick: #8 Shake Em Off (Morning line: 12-1)

I will take a chance with Shake Em Off because a turf stakes race was a demanding first assignment, and this maiden claimer gives her a softer group to chase. She tired going a mile after racing off the leaders, so I like the cutback as a request for a shorter, more focused finish. Michelle Nevin's filly should pick up horses later, and I want Ruben Silvera keeping her connected before finding room to accelerate instead of leaving an impossible amount of ground to recover. The question is whether she has the quickness for a turf sprint, because softer company does not guarantee comfort when the race moves faster. I like the class change and her lack of exposure enough to put her first, while respecting another lightly raced closer who has experience at this exact trip.

My alternative: #11 Sonoranite (Morning line: 15-1) was bumped at the start of her six-furlong turf debut and passed tired horses. I can see a cleaner beginning improving David Donk's filly's late run, but her long absence and outside draw create hurdles of their own.

My Bottom Line: City Blocks is the anchor of my afternoon

I am most comfortable with City Blocks in my Belmont race selections, while Market Perception is the upside choice and Tinian leads a juvenile race with room for disagreement. I want the longer-priced runners to deliver the trips discussed above, rather than letting big odds turn unanswered questions into good news. For more horse racing picks today, use the horse-racing articles hub alongside the track-bias tool, jockey statistics, and trainer statistics. If you are ready to wager, I invite you to bet the card at BetOnline, with City Blocks my strongest racing opinion and the more speculative selections carrying the questions I have laid out.