Mother Goose Stakes Predictions, Picks, Betting Odds (Belmont Park)

Check out our predictions and odds for the 2022 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park! Click on the links in the table below to head to TwinSpires and place your bet. Get a $200 sign up bonus at TwinSpires!

Mother Goose Stakes Picks and Best Bets

Here are my plays ($50 in total)

$50 Win – Shahama = $50

If you’re playing only to win, go with my top pick Shahama (2/1).

Take a look at our Horse Racing Calculator to ensure your bets!

Second in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Juju’s Map returns to graded stakes company when she tops a compact but talented field of five in Saturday’s Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park.

A daughter of Liam’s Map, she returned to the races in May to dominate a Churchill Downs’ allowance race in her only start this year. The Grade 1 winning filly is trained by Brad Cox and will once again be ridden by Florent Geroux.

Among her challengers in the 1 1/16-mile Mother Goose is the Todd-Pletcher-trained Shahama. A half-sister to the champion Lookin at Lucky, she was dominant in winning her first four career races in Dubai, including the Grade 3 UAE Oaks.

In her first start in America, she was well back early but rallied to finish 6th of 14 in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

Gerrymander was second in the Grade 1 Frizette behind Echo Zulu and won the Tempted Stakes over Nest last fall in New York.

Trained by Chad Brown, she will be making her second start of the year after finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles last time.

Venti Valentine is a two-time stakes winner in New York. Most recently she finished way back in the Kentucky Oaks, but was a romping winner of the Busher in March.

Juju’s Map

A grade 1 winner at Keeneland last year, this Liam’s Map filly finished off her 2-year-old season by proving second best to Echo Zulu in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

In her lone start in 2021, she set a rather easy early pace and was too strong for her allowance rivals on Kentucky Oaks Day. With her proven class, solid return win and good early speed she is a deserving favorite on Saturday for trainer Brad Cox

Having said that, she will face a much stiffer challenge in this $250,000 test. There are three other classy fillies in the field and there is other speed in the race. In consideration of her probable low odds, I will take a shot against her here.

Shahama

This one did everything asked of her over in Dubai in her first four starts, and was far and away the best 3-year-old filly there. While she never threatened in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, I do like the way she finished that race to be only 5 ½-lengths back on the wire.

In this one-turn race, she will likely need to show that she can stay closer early but she did look good running shorter in Dubai. She also should be able to comfortably wait early behind the other four fillies who all have some speed.

It’s by no means an easy spot, but I’ve seen enough of her overseas and in the Oaks to believe that she has the class to win this. She is the top pick.

Gerrymander

This daughter of Into Mischief was a solid filly as a 2-year-old, running first or second in all four starts, including a win over Nest in the Tempted Stakes. Having said that, Nest has clearly developed this year, and in the two races where she was second, she was trounced.

Still, there is good reason to believe that she can improve this year for trainer Chad Brown. In her season debut, she did not get off to a good start and that ended her chances against very fast fillies going 7 furlongs.

I look for improvement second out since the layoff, so she is a danger, but I still have my doubts whether she can beat some top fillies in this spot.

Venti Valentine

After five solid races to begin her career in New York, including a 7-length romp over a decent field in the Busher Stakes, this daughter of Firing Line finished dead last in the Kentucky Oaks.

Perhaps that spot, and a less than stellar trip, were too much for her but I do believe she is quite a bit better than she showed at Churchill Downs. Here she returns against a small field where she can use her tactical speed to stay within striking distance early.

She is not out of it, and as the likely fourth choice, she offers some betting value but I cannot bring myself to back her after the tough trip to Kentucky.

Midnight Stroll

The longshot of the group, she did win two in a row earlier this year at Tampa Bay Downs. Unfortunately, those wins came against maidens and then state-breds in her stakes win.

Entered against graded stakes fillies last time, she showed little in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico. She has some early speed to be involved early, but it seems like this is another spot where she is in a little over her head.

How to Watch the Mother Goose Stakes