Belmont Park: Horses to single in the six-figure Pick 5 and Pick 6 carryovers

Fans of non-jackpot carryovers will have not one, but two massive prize pools to chase on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Following a Friday filled with upsets, the $1 Pick 6 boasts a carryover of $219,429. But this hefty amount is exceeded by the $291,108 carryover up for grabs in the 50-cent Late Pick 5.

The Pick 6 kicks off in Race 5 (post time 2:57 p.m. ET), while the Late Pick 5 gets underway in Race 6 (post time 3:27 p.m. ET). This means the Pick 5 overlaps the Pick 6, and handicapping one gets you a good start in analyzing the other.

This is good news for bettors, because Race 6—which plays a part in both carryovers—features a seemingly trustworthy single. The event in question is the $250,000 Poker S. (G3) taking place over one mile on turf, and the standout favorite is #1 Masen (6-5).

Formerly based in Ireland, Masen ran a huge race in his U.S. debut for acclaimed turf trainer Chad Brown, finishing second by a nose in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland. The son of Kingman subsequently shipped to Belmont Park for the one-mile Seek Again S., where he tracked the pace and finished strongly to dominate by five lengths.

Masen is facing only four rivals in the Poker and figures to sit a picture-perfect trip stalking #5 Wolfie’s Dynaghost (5-1), the distant third-place finisher from the Seek Again. From there, Masen figures to be difficult or impossible to catch under jockey Flavien Prat, who has won at a 29% rate teaming up with Brown over the last two months.

Brown and Prat also stand a strong chance to win Race 10, a maiden special weight taking place over 1 3/8 miles on turf. #1 Forwardly (7-2) ran fifth in his debut over 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct last fall before returning from a six-month break to finish third over the same distance at Monmouth Park, earning a solid 89 Brisnet Speed rating.

There isn’t a crazy amount of speed in Saturday’s field, so Forwardly—adding blinkers and stretching out in distance—should work out an ideal trip setting or stalking a modest pace. He might not be quite as reliable a single as Masen, but bettors looking to play the Pick 5 and Pick 6 on smaller budgets might want to consider Forwardly as a single possibility.

Good luck!