US Horse Racing Tips: Best bets from Belmont Park on Thursday

Kept Waiting dangerous on the class drop

Race 4 19:35 Belmont Park - Kept Waiting

Kept Waiting should open her account in this $40k maiden claimer on the Widener turf course.

This Broken Vow filly finished second to Kilkea in a Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga last month. She took the lead in the straight, but was collared by the winner in the closing stages. This was a solid effort in what looked a competitive race. Trainer Michael Miceli drops her aggressively and should be rewarded with a big effort. Miceli boasts a 33% strike rate with horses dropping in to maiden claiming company for the first time. She should be backed around 3.02/1 on the exchange.

Crystalle the choice

Race 9 22:14 Belmont Park - Crystalle

Crystalle is my idea of the winner of this fascinating optional claimer on the inner turf.

This filly was last seen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita when finishing down the field behind Sharing. She missed the break but ran on well in the closing stages without troubling the judge. She had previously finished second in a Graded Stakes over this course which reads well in the context of this race. Her work tab is respectable, and trainer John Kimmel has had an early winner at the meeting. Anything around her Morning Line price of 3.02/1 will do.