How to bet the best Pick 3 on Friday at Belmont Park

Friday is essentially “Belmont Stakes Eve” at Belmont Park, with five stakes serving as early appetizers leading up to the main show Saturday.

Hoping to build your bankroll in advance of the weekend? Betting one of the two all-stakes Pick 3 sequences Friday might just be the ticket to success.

We’ve assembled a $30 play to get you started.

Race 8: Bed o’ Roses S. (G3, seven furlongs, 4:40 p.m. ET)

The Pick 3 kicks off with a competitive field. The undefeated #6 Chub Wagon (9-5) looms as the favorite, after she dominated her first five starts (including a pair of stakes) by a minimum of two lengths.

But Chub Wagon will step up against graded stakes rivals for the first time, and there’s no guarantee she will reproduce her flashy form against tougher competition at Belmont Park.

We'll also use #5 Victim of Love (7-2) and #8 Estilo Talentoso (9-2). The former boasts an undefeated record in two starts at Belmont, where she won the last two editions of the 6 1/2-furlong Vagrancy H. (G3). The latter has competed with aplomb against Grade 1 company. She finished second in the Madison S. (G1) and third in the Derby City Distaff (G1).

Race 9: New York S. (G2, 1 1/4 miles on turf, 5:15 p.m. ET)

Eleven of the 12 fillies and mares in this competitive turf route are graded stakes winners, so a case can be made for virtually any horse in the field. Rather than spread deep, we’ll take a stand with #1 Magic Attitude (6-1).

Magic Attitude is undefeated in two starts at Belmont Park, with decisive victories in the 2020 Belmont Oaks (G1) and last month’s Sheepshead Bay (G2). Magic Attitude’s effort in the Sheepshead Bay was utterly spectacular, as she trailed the field through snail-like early fractions and surged home with a 115 Brisnet Late Pace rating to dominate by three lengths.

A repeat of that performance can bring Magic Attitude’s record at Belmont to a perfect three-for-three.

Race 10: Belmont Gold Cup (G2, two miles, 5:48 p.m. ET)

International shippers have won the last three editions of the Belmont Gold Cup, so we won’t get creative to conclude our Pick 3. We’ll simply single #8 Baron Samedi (8-5).

Based in Ireland, the improving four-year-old gelding has rattled off six consecutive victories for trainer Joseph O’Brien, including a triumph in the 1 3/4-mile Vintage Crop S. (G3) to kick off 2021.

Baron Samedi’s proven stamina will surely give him an advantage over the Belmont Gold Cup’s formidable two-mile distance.

$10 Pick 3: 5,6,8 with 1 with 8 ($30)

Good luck!