It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Well, not really. But if you solve the Grade 1 New York and Acorn stakes, Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup and Grade 3 Intercontinental this Friday, June 9, you could be headed for a lucrative Pick 5 payout at Belmont Park. Four races in the sequence are scheduled for the turf with an average field size of nine. It only costs 50 cents to play. Here’s a closer look:
BEL 7th race (4:08 EST) -- CONMAN wore down a stubborn BE OF COURAGE to lead in deep stretch but settled for second best when the 5-2 second choice passed by both of them. BE OF COURAGE continued to outrun his odds. Stretch traffic cost him a 70-1 debut shocker, a performance that was validated when he became one of three MSW winners to exit that race. BE THE BOSS edged away from a suspect field last out, but he is a stumbled start from a perfect record in three starts with Jose Ortiz aboard.
BEL 8th race (4:41 EST) -- Trainer Chad Brown has four graded stakes-winning entrants as he seeks his fifth victory in the G-I New York in the last eight years. But Hall of Famer Bill Mott holds the trump card with favorite WAR LIKE GODDESS, who beat the boys on firm and soft footing for a pair of G-I victories last year, including the Breeders’ Cup Turf. She laid closer to the pace – a tactic that could serve her well in this field – to win her seasonal debut in the G-III Bewitch at Keeneland, improving to 4-for-5 at 1-1/2 miles, a quarter mile and one turn longer than today’s race. I like MARKETSEGMENTATION the most of the Brown stablemates. She raced closer to the pace in the G-III Beaugay under minimal urging, then spurted clear in the stretch when asked for run. She can control the pace in her first try at 1-1/4 miles at a tempting price. FLIRTING BRIDGE is longshot to consider in the $600,000 marathon. She was unhurried to the far turn but surged past the loose leader in the stretch to prevail in a comeback allowance, her first start since a near miss in the G-I E.P. Taylor at this distance last fall. She dueled 3-wide in the stretch in the E.P. Taylor and forged a short lead before the rallying top pair arrived. Now she draws the rail for the first time.
BEL 9th race (5:14 EST) -- RANDOMIZED returned from an eight-month layoff and broke her maiden in wire-to-wire fashion, running 2-3/5 seconds faster than the boys in a same-day, $50,000 optional claiming race. MUNNYS GOLD won her first three starts on the front end by a combined 38 lengths before a photo-finish setback in the G-II Eight Belles, leaving today’s G-I Acorn distance as the only question. ACCEDE launched a 4-wide bid entering the stretch but “hung” and finished 1-3/4 lengths behind MUNNYS GOLD at 7F.
BEL 10th race (5:47 EST) – Only two of the 13 entrants in the G-2 Belmont Gold Cup have graded stakes wins in the last 12 months. The two millionaires – Channel Maker and Cross Border – are 8-1 and 12-1 on the morning line. Nearly half the field raced over hurdles in their most recent start. Go 6-deep in the Pick 5.
BEL 11th race (6:19 EST) -- BAY STORM awaited room in the stretch, but finished well in the 3-path when she found it. She gets an extra half-furlong today and won’t have Breeders Cup Turf Sprint champ Caravel (14-22, $1.6 million) to catch. CLITHEROE won her U.S. debut off an eight-month layoff – and she did it the hard way. She raced 4-wide through the turn, out-gamed the 5-to-2 pace setter and held off the favorite to prevail. The shorter sprint distance suits her well for a barn whose runners improved in their second start off a long layoff.
Suggested 50-cent Ticket
BEL 7th Race: 2, 4, 5
BEK 8th Race: 1, 4, 7
BEL 9th Race: 2, 8
BEL 10th Race: 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 13
BEL 11th Race: 3, 5
Cost for 50-Cent Ticket: $108
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