New Jersey based Monmouth Park returns this week. The Saturday schedule looks more than promising. We handicap and make free horse racing picks for the fifth, a 1 1/16 mile turf event, the ninth, the $75,000 Spruce Fir Handicap, and Race 10, a $50,000 starter handicap going 1 mile over the turf. Check out top plays and Horse Racing Odds from Monmouth Park for Saturday, July 4. You can also visit our Online Racebook to place your bets on active racetracks.

Monmouth Park Horse Racing Picks

• When: Saturday, July 4 at 12:45 pm ET
• Where: Ocean Park, NJ
• Weather: Partly Cloudy

Monmouth Park Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, July 4

Race 5 – 2:39 pm ET – 1 1/16 Miles Turf – $47,500 Allowance

3-year-old gelding Gravitas may not hold the 6/1 morning line odds. The Jonathan Thomas trained runner broke its maiden at first asking by a neck. It went off as a close to 10/1 choice in its first against winners. All Gravitas did was finish second by 3 lengths in a $75,000 optional claiming event at Tampa Bay Downs. Thomas wins 28% with shippers, 27% with runners racing over the grass, and  25% with horses in allowance races.

Paco Lopez, who owned Monmouth when he rode their on the regular, steps aboard last out maiden winner Constitutional Pal. The Constitution sired equine could make it two in a row. Constitutional Pal was awful in a race on May 2. Trainer Jane Cibelli put Paco on the gelding’s back for the next race and look what happened? We must consider for the win slot if the odds are right.

Fame to Famous can finish third in this. The Tapit sired colt drops from a stakes race to this allowance. We’ll use in more than the show slot on our trifecta because we’ve got the feeling this one drifts higher than the 6/1 morning line.

• Win: Gravitas
• Place: Constitutional Pal
• Show: Fame to Famous

Race 9 – 4:41 pm ET – 6 Furlongs Dirt – $75,000 Spruce Fir Handicap

Crazy Daisy can upset 7/5 on the morning line Liz’s Cable Girl. The Miguel Penaloza trained runner should get a nice trip breaking from post-position 1. Daisy has 5 wins, 4 seconds, and 2 thirds from 14 races at the distance. She has a 3-3-3 record from 14 over Monmouth’s dirt. If jockey Dexter Haddock can get her in a good position out of the gate, she might pull off the upset.

Diamond Play goes turf to dirt for trainer Anthony Margotta Jr. That’s a 20% winning move. Margotta wins 25% with horses in non-graded stakes, 23% with shippers, and 22% with dirt starters. Play has a 4-4-3 record over fast dirt. So, she can take this. Consider as part of an exacta box with the top choice.

Just because we won’t bet on Liz’s Cable Girl it doesn’t mean we don’t think she can win. Liz has 6 wins from 10 races over Monmouth’s dirt. She also goes first time for trainer Tom Amoss, a huge positive. But, in her last three races she’s lost by 6 lengths, 7 ¼ lengths, and 14 lengths. Maybe, Liz is just tired of this whole running thing. We’ll use. We can’t bet to win, though.

• Win: Crazy Daisy
• Place: Diamond Play
• Show: Liz’s Cable Girl

Race 10 – 5:12 pm ET – 1 Mile Turf – $50,000 Starter Handicap

Jonathan Maldonado trained Bobby G is in fantastic form. The Awesome Again sired 6-year-old gelding has 4 wins, 2 seconds, a third, and a fourth in its last 8 races. Maldonado wins 23% third off a layoff while Bobby G does have a couple of victories over the lawn.

Old Dominion is 20/1 on the morning line. Sure, the Niall Seville trained gelding could bounce off the last, a stunning 4-length victory going a mile over Laurel’s grass. But what if Old Dominion doesn’t bounce? The win at Laurel made it 2 in a row for this runner. So, we had better put in our exacta, right?

Two back, Belgrano finished second to High Noon Rider at Gulfstream Park. We can throw out the last race. That was over the dirt. Back on the sod, Belgrano should take these a long way. We think the War Front sired gelding hangs on for third.

• Win: Bobby G
• Place: Old Dominion
• Show: Belgrano