Through The Binocs

Not the best of weekends for Javier Castellano riding front-running odds-on favorites in stakes action at Belmont — especially if they were trained by Bob Baffert!

Castellano’s hard-luck began Saturday, when Baffert’s filly Contested tired to finish fifth as the 1-2 favorite in the Mother Goose. Yesterday, his mount Sacred Success, trained by Rick Dutrow Jr., was hammered to 3-5 in the $125,000 Bouwerie after winning her last three races vs. state-breds by a combined 20 lengths. Hustled to the front, the daughter of Officer set the pace chased by 5-1 Beautiful But Blue, Junior Alvarado up, who went after Sacred Success as they turned for home and blew right by at the top of the stretch. Sacred Success faded to fifth.

In the next race, the $125,000 Mike Lee, Castellano was aboard Baffert’s 3-year-old colt Brigand, who drifted to 1-2. Brigand set the pace pressed by the entry of The Prize Fighter and Night Maneuver, shook off their challenges turning for home, but offered little resistance when 5-2 Willy Beamin charged past him in deep stretch. At least Brigand held second, to the relief of bridge-jumpers who bet $177,526 on him to show out of the total pool of $212,341.

As for the winners, Beautiful But Blue, trained by Tom Bush, was winning for the fourth time in her last five starts. Willy Beamin, claimed by Rick Dutrow Jr. from Dominic Schettino in March, has won his three races since then by a combined 12 ¾ lengths.

l  The Australian wonder mare Black Caviar, who ran her record to 22-for-22 with a photo-finish victory in the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot in England on Saturday, emerged from the race “quite sore behind,” trainer Peter Moody said, after suffering soft tissue damage to her quadricep muscle. She will stay in quarantine for 28 days before returning to Australia, where plans are to race her again.

FIFTH RACE: Red Code , favored at 5-2 in this grass dash after drawing in from the also-eligible list, sat off the hot pace duel between 7-2 Phantasticus and 10-1 Darn That Trip, swung out with a bold rush turning for home, then exploded past 8-1 Le Grand Fromage in mid-stretch while drifting in and drew clear as much the best. Le Grand Fromage’s rider, Alan Garcia, checked briefly as Red Code went by and claimed foul against the winner. The claim, disallowed by the stewards, would have been moot if Garcia had blown finishing second — which he almost did when he stood up in the irons a few strides from the wire and came within a whisker of being caught late by 11-1 Holiday At Betty’s. What, we’ll ask again, is so hard about riding a horse out past the finish line?

PICK SIX

Winning numbers:

13-6-3-1-6-3

No winners

Cons. (5of6) paid $883

Carryover: $39,758

Follow @NYPostsports