All-Grade 1 Pick 5 play for Belmont Stakes Day

An otherworldly slate of races has been carded at Belmont Park on Saturday. Nine graded stakes in total will lead the way, with eight being of the Grade 1 variety, on the blockbuster day of racing action that is second to none. I will put some focus on the Pick-5 wager that concludes with the centerpiece, the $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1).

The sequence features some smaller fields, and it looks mostly straightforward from a betting perspective, but I feel that I do have some potential separators that can make the wager especially worthwhile.

Race 7: Ogden Phipps S. (G1)

Champions #1 Letruska (6-5) and #3 Malathaat (5-2) are the clear headliners in the field, but Grade 1 heroines #4 Clairiere (3-1) and #5 Search Results (9-2) are no slouches, nor is #2 Bonny South (8-1). I will hit the "all" button to start the play.

Race 8: Jaipur S. (G1)

A total of 13 turf dashers will go six furlongs on the green in a race where many people will spread for the Pick 5, but I will take the opposite approach. #8 Scuttlebuzz (6-1) is 4-for-5 since adding blinkers, led by a convincing score in the Elusive Quality S. on the course most recently. The gelding could also improve second time off the shelf.

I thought that #5 Arrest Me Red (5-2) was especially overbet in the Turf Sprint S. (G2) at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Wesley Ward pupil made a believer out of me.

And in a race oddly lacking confirmed frontrunning types, #3 True Valour (12-1) intrigues at a big price. The Graham Motion trainee led throughout off the 13-month absence at Laurel last time out, and improvement makes the eight-year-old worth including at a big number.

Race 9: Met Mile S. (G1)

The jaw-dropping #1 Flightline (3-5) will battle with Carter H. (G1) victor #2 Speaker’s Corner (8-5) in a heavyweight tussle. The majority of tickets will include just the aforementioned pair, but I will also toss Todd Pletcher’s #4 Happy Saver (8-1) into the mix. The Belmont lover should appreciate the cut back in distance, and the Super Saver chestnut might receive a dream trip in third behind the top duo, too. 

Race 10: Manhattan S. (G1)

#8 Highland Chief (6-1) was not a fluke when taking the Man o’ War S. (G1) on the course at 19-1 odds in his second try in the U. S. for Motion. The Gleneagles five-year-old has a world of back class, and he is lightly raced enough to assume that a forward move is possible on Saturday. The versatile bay is an aggressive single but one that I have a good measure of confidence in.

Race 11: Belmont S. (G1)

#6 Mo Donegal (5-2) is my top selection, and I will consider singling the colt in various additional wagers. The Pletcher pupil seems like an ideal fit for the third leg of the Triple Crown.

I am not in love with #1 We The People (2-1) at a short price, but the Constitution colt is controlling speed, and the Kentucky-bred comes off a superb effort on the surface, as well. It would be foolish to omit the talented Rodolphe Brisset trainee.

Wager

• $.50-cent Pick 5: all with 3,5,8 with 1,2,4 with 8 with 1,6 ($45)

Good Luck!