NYRA handicapper Andy Serling provides daily analysis of track trends and conditions at the Big A in an attempt to share his thoughts and insights into any possible track biases. This can be a helpful resource for handicappers, as track conditions can change from one day to the next.
Belmont Park Track Trends | Saratoga Track Trends
Friday, March 15
Fast
Cloudy
68
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NW
While speed seemed to do well, they were mostly logical results, as overall the track played fairly.
Thursday, March 14
Fast
Clear
66
Wind 5 to 10 MPH South
Most of the best running was done at least a path or two off the rail, but there is no clear evidence the rail was bad, though it might be worth following. Likely the track played fairly.
Sunday, March 10
Muddy ( sealed )
Cloudy
50
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
Most of the best running in the stretch was done well off the rail. Whether or not the rail was bad is hard to know as a lot of successful runners stayed at least close to the inside prior to the stretch. Speed and closers were effective during the day suggesting the track was fair from that standpoint.
Saturday, March 9
Fast 1-4; Fast ( Sealed ) 5-6; Good ( sealed ) 7; Muddy ( sealed ) 8-9
Rainy
44
Wind 15 to 25 MPH East
Hard to make trends as the track changed quite a bit during the day. Speed could have been an advantage early, but likely the track was playing fairly. A case could be made that as the track got wetter, particularly for the 8th and 9th races, the outside paths were the place to be. However, race dynamics likely played a strong role in closers dominating the second half of the card.
Friday, March 8
Fast
Clear
52
Wind 5 to 15 MPH East
Much of the better running seemed to be done off the inside but there is no clear evidence the rail was bad, especially as the day wore on. While it was possible to close, speed was a distinct advantage.
Thursday, March 7
Muddy ( sealed )
Cloudy
52
Wind 15 to 25 MPH North
Speed was dominant throughout the day with the best running being done off the inside. Possible the rail was bad. Worth following.
Sunday, March 3
Muddy ( sealed )
Clear
62
Wind 5 to 10 MPH NW
The track played fairly.
Saturday, March 2
Sloppy ( sealed )
Rainy
50
Wind 15 to 25 MPH East
Riders stayed well clear of the inside, more so as the day wore on, and it's reasonable to question the inside. Horses ran well at least close to the inside in the 4th and 5th races, but given the rain, it's hard to say the track was consistent throughout the day. We did see speed and closers fair well, though speed could have been an edge in the second half of the card. Not clear however.
Friday, March 1
Fast
Clear
43
Wind 10 to 20 MPH South
Much like 2/29, the rail was likely not the best place to be, and the track played with an outside flow.
Thursday, February 29
Fast
Cloudy
40
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
While the rail likely wasn’t dead, the track did have a significant outside flow, and moving in the middle of the track was likely beneficial.
Sunday, February 25
Fast
Clear
36
Wind 5 to 10 MPH South
Despite riders staying away from the rail for the most part, there is no evidence the rail was bad, and the track played fairly.
Saturday, February 24
Fast
Clear
43
Wind 15 to 25 MPH North
The rail was good but not an apparent advantage as overall the track played fairly.
Friday, February 23
Fast
Cloudy
47
Wind 5 to 10 MPH North
There is an argument the track had a bit of an outside flow, but it may also have a bit circumstantial, as there is no real evidence the rail was bad. Mostly just a fair track.
Monday, February 19
Fast
Clear
40
Wind 10 to 20 MPH NW
Speed did well but the track likely played fairly.
Sunday, February 18
Fast
Clear
38
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
The track played fairly.
Saturday, February 17
Good
Cloudy/Flurries
37
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NW
The riders mostly stayed off the inside, with pretty much all the effective running done well off the rail, but whether the rail was bad is debatable. In the 4th race the runner up battled back down on the rail which lends at least some ambiguity to things. Probably worth following.
Friday, February 16
Fast
Clear
41
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NW
The track played fairly.
Sunday, February 11
Fast
Cloudy
48
Wind 5 to 15 MPH NW
The track played fairly.
Saturday, February 10
Fast
Cloudy
55
Wind 5 to 15 MPH WSW
The rail was good but not a clear advantage as the track played fairly.
Friday, February 9
Fast
Clear
50
Wind 10 to 25 MPH South
The rail was likely an advantage, but as the day wore on, the track appeared to be playing fairly.
Sunday, February 4
Good
Clear
43
Wind 5 to 15 MPH NW
The rail continues to be a significant advantage. While we saw some horses close effectively outside, saving ground at some point helped, to say the least.
Saturday, February 3
Muddy ( sealed )
Clear
40
Wind 10 to 20 MPH North
The rail was very good and a significant advantage. We saw some aberrational performances where horses were effective closing outside, but being inside was very helpful.
Friday, February 2
Sloppy ( sealed )
Showers
43
Wind 15 to 25 MPH North
Speed did well but we saw plenty of horses run effectively from behind depending on race dynamics. The rail was subtly an advantage, though runners did well wide, and the riders seemed to stay away from the inside much of the day.
Sloppy ( sealed )
Showers
40
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NE
All the effective running was done well out into the track. Some closers were effective but it may have helped to be forward.
Muddy ( sealed )
Cloudy
46
Wind 5 to 15 MPH North
Another day where the majority of the running was done well out into the track but there were horses than ran effectively at least close to the rail. Closers and speed horses were effective throughout the day. Likely a reasonably fair track.
Friday, January 26
Sloppy ( sealed )
Cloudy
46
Wind 5 to 15 MPH North
While a lot of runners stayed clear of the rail, we saw horses do well, even rally, near the inside. Overall, the track played fairly.
Friday, January 19
Fast
Snowing
30
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NE
While we saw some effective closers, and outside moves, the rail continues to be an advantage. The track, for the second day in a row, produced especially slow times. There were larger than normal gaps between finishers in many of the races.
Thursday, January 18
Fast
Cloudy
32
Wind 10 to 20 MPH West
While we saw some effective running off the rail, the inside/rail was a significant advantage.
Sunday, January 14
Fast
Clear
40
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
The track played fairly.
Saturday, January 13
Sloppy ( sealed )
Cloudy
45
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
While riders mostly stayed away from the rail early, and all the best running was done wide, it's arguable that changed as the day wore on and the inside, at least the two path, was OK. Worth following but not a clear bad inside.
Friday, January 12
Fast
Clear
47
Wind 10 to 20 MPH SE
The track was playing much quicker but the rail continues to be dead.
Thursday, January 11
Fast
Clear
46
Wind 15 to 25 MPH West
All the effective running was done well off the rail and there is a strong argument that the rail was dead. Worth following.
Sunday, January 7
Sloppy ( sealed )
Showery
36
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NW
The track was sloppy from heavy overnight rains. Most of the effective running was done well off the rail. It seemed like the inside few paths were bad, at least early, but as the day wore on there's some question of whether or not the inside was bad. Still, likely best wide, often the wider the better, and worth following horses that ran inside.
Saturday, January 6
Fast
Cloudy
34
Wind 15 to 25 MPH East
The rail was good, if not an advantage, and the track played fairly.
Friday, January 5
Fast
37
Wind 10 to 20 MPH West
The track played fairly and the rail was good.
Thursday, January 4
Fast
Clear
44
Wind 15 to 25 MPH NW
The track played fairly though there is an argument that the rail was an advantage. Worth following.
Monday, January 1
Fast
Cloudy
44
Wind 5 to 15 MPH North
The track played fairly, but there is a reasonable argument that the rail was an advantage.
Download previous years' track trends below:
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