Beer: How I'd play Belmont for Saturday, July 1

Saturday's late pick four at Belmont features two stakes races: the $100,000 Perfect Sting, for fillies and mares on the turf, and the Grade 2 Mother Goose, for 3-year-old fillies on dirt.

I am looking to get involved in the Mother Goose and will put together a late pick four play that focuses on that race.

Race 7: The Perfect Sting kicks off the sequence, and it won't be easy to avoid trainer Chad Brown in this race, as he saddles three of the nine entrants.

Of his three, I'll use the pair of #7 Off Limits and #9 Conquest Babayaga, and will somewhat reluctantly leave out #8 Ancient Secret. Off Limits is my preference of the two.

The other horse I'll use in this race is #2 On Leave. She was a progressive 3-year-old for Shug McGaughey and may have needed her first start back from a layoff. She also was trying to gain ground into a modest pace in that race.

Race 8: Wicked Macho #3 looks tough in this race as he drops out of the Easy Goer to face fellow New York-breds for the first time. He looked good gaming out a victory in his debut at Churchill Downs, and there is not much other speed to go with him in this spot.

My longshot backup is #4 Formal Start. He is better than he looks on paper after a couple of difficult recent trips, and he finishes well in his races.

Race 9: The Mother Goose has pulled a field of seven, including three from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, as well as the third- and fourth-place finishers from the Kentucky Oaks.

One of the Pletcher fillies, #3 My Miss Tapit, is my key horse in the pick four.

My Miss Tapit is stepping up in class and stretching out in distance following a pair of victories in Florida to start her career. Those hurdles are not insignificant, but she does not meet any of the leading lights of this division on Saturday, and she gave the impression that she might be one of Pletcher's better fillies her wins.

Race 10: Since I haven't gone deep in the early legs, I'd like to have some coverage in the last. Stormin Stephen #1, #2 Zandar, #4 Conquest See Ya, #6 Lone Trader, #7 Theycallhimthekid and a little of #8 Man of Wiregrass will all be part of the play to close it out.