Beer: How I'll play Belmont Park on Saturday, October 5, 2019

The late pick 5 at Belmont on Saturday includes three graded stakes - the Grade 2 Hill Prince, the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and the Grade 1 Champagne. With those major races offering competitive fields, and with the sequence being bookended by a pair of maiden events with full fields, there may be a chance to make this thing pay.

Race 7 – Maiden special weight

Set for one-mile on the main track for 2-year-olds, this race will go with a full field of 12. I prefer #12 Onward, who is drawn to the outside post as he stretches out for his second career start. He debuted sprinting at Saratoga and was outrun early after failing to break sharply from the gate, before moving outside and finishing gamely for fourth. He is bred to stretch out and will have Lasix for the first time. He should be a fair price in this race, so I want to lean on him and will back him with first-time starter #3 Vintage Point (a $1.8 million purchase by Curlin out of a Grade 1-winning dam for Chad Brown), #6 Malibu Edge, and #8 Sonneman, who is improving with racing and is bred to stretch out.

A: 12
B: 3, 6, 8

Race 8 - Grade 2 Hill Prince

Featuring a well-matched field of nine 3-year-old turf horses, this thing may just come down to trips, which are always paramount over this nine-furlong distance on the inner turf at Belmont. I had a tough time separating #1 Henley's Joy, #2 A Thread of Blue, and #5 Digital Age. I went with Henley's Joy because he will likely be the best price. He has the tactical speed to take advantage of his rail draw and he showed he is among the top horses in this division when winning the Grade 1 Belmont Derby in July. I will also throw #7 Standard Deviation in for Chad Brown, while realizing that he has some improving to do.

A: 1, 2, 5
B: 7

Race 9 - Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Like the Hill Prince, this race has pulled a field of well-matched turf marathoners and is open to several different outcomes. I am staying toward the outside and leaning on #5 Arklow, #6 Sadler's Joy, and #7 Channel Maker, but any one of the inside three is more than capable of winning this race.

A: 5, 6 ,7

Race 10 - Grade 1 Champagne

With the scratch of #4 Three Technique, who was a major player in this race, my main play will include #3 Green Light Go and the N.Y.-bred #7 Tiz the Law, who was an impressive debut winner at Saratoga with a 90 Beyer. With that scratch, I'm going to add #1 Alpha Sixty Six. He has to improve significantly but he was a determined winner of his debut and will likely be a fair price for Pletcher.

A: 3, 7
B: 1

Race 11 – Maiden special weight

Scratch #1 Conglomerate and #5 John Want Revenge, along with the main-track-only runners #'s 1a and #12.

#4 U S Army Corps didn't run poorly first time out when in contention around the turn before proving to be no match for a clear-cut winner. I like his experience and he is well-bred with enough speed to get forward in this race. The #2 Voodoo Zip-2b Uncle Ned entry for West Point are both well-bred first-time starters. I will also use #11 Country Grammer. He didn't draw well for his debut but goes for Chad Brown and his pedigree traces back to a solid Juddmonte Farms family.

A: 2, 4, 11