Mucciolo: Belmont Trifecta of the Day for May 14

A quartet of graded stakes races will highlight a huge Saturday of racing at Belmont Park. To get the day off on the right foot and pad my bankroll early, I will take aim at the opener to get things off to a fast start on the card.

Race 1 – Maiden Special Weight

New York-bred runners will dash six panels on the dirt in the opener in a race that I like a lot. A total of nine are signed on, and I feel that #6 Devil Boy (5-2) is the one to beat while making his third lifetime start. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the four-year-old colt has displayed a decent turn of foot in both career engagements to date while running into very talented foes. The chestnut has been off for a while, but he runs for a conditioner who is solid off the shelf and retains the services of regular rider Jose Ortiz.

Devil Boy, a $75,000 yearling purchase, will be giving weight to most of his counterparts on Saturday but I don’t consider that to be a major problem. If the colt breaks well and doesn’t have too much to do turning for home, then I think he will be the one moving best of all late as the key in my wager.

#3 Eminency (7-2) appears to be a must use for Rudy Rodriguez. The son of Cupid has burned a lot of money in his career thus far, but he has been second in four-of-five and gets in light at 113 pounds with fine apprentice Jose Gomez in the silks. Eminency can run from on or off the pace and is a most logical top-three contender.

#9 Fortune’s Nephew (4-1) debuts for Bruce Levine, who is a capable first-out conditioner. The Bellamy Road gelding is training fast and gets Irad Ortiz, so if he takes early money, then he could be a live one from a good outside post slot.

And for value, #8 Our Son Jake (12-1) intrigues me in his first run of the season. The Tiznow colt ran evenly in a tough spot at first asking, prior to being outrun by a fine winner in his two-year-old finale. The sophomore colt is training forwardly as of late and gets Dylan Davis to ride.

I could make a case for any of the maidens for the lower rungs of the gimmicks as I don’t see a lot of separation with the other six contenders.

Trifecta Wager

• $2 trifecta 6 with 3, 8, 9 with all ($42)