NEW YORK – Belmont Park is stepping up Saturday to fill the stakes void on the weekend between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The track is offering five stakes, four of which are graded, led by the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War and the Grade 3, $300,000 Peter Pan, a local springboard to the Belmont Stakes. Belmont’s other two graded events – both Grade 3 races with $200,000 purses – are the Beaugay and the Vagrancy. Saturday’s two remaining graded races – both Grade 3, $100,000 events – are the Hanshin Cup at Arlington and the Santa Barbara at Santa Anita. Man o’ War Stakes This drew an eclectic field, which is really code for horseplayers have a lot of options to choose from. For one, Channel Maker appears to be cycling back to his best form. But when he romped in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in his last appearance at Belmont last fall, it was on a deep, tricky course many of his opponents didn’t handle. Epical ships from Santa Anita in career form and off a nice win in the San Luis Rey, but I question the strength of Southern California’s turf distance division. And while Zulu Alpha is off to a nice start this year, having won the McKnight and Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream and finishing third in the Elkhorn at Keeneland, he had nice trips in Florida, and I wonder if his form hasn’t already plateaued. Magic Wand is my strong preference. Magic Wand was simply overmatched most recently in the Dubai Sheema Classic. But two starts back, she was a willing second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf to Bricks and Mortar, who has since won two stakes and is clearly the best turf horse in the U.S. Magic Wand also finished ahead of Delta Prince in the Pegasus, and he came back to win the Maker’s 46 Mile. Magic Wand ran that well at a Pegasus distance I feel was short of her best. She gets the additional distance she prefers Saturday and is, I believe, better than this group. Mamzelle Stakes This five-furlong turf sprint is the feature at Churchill Downs and, not surprisingly, trainer Wesley Ward holds a strong hand. Among the three Ward has entered are Abyssinian and Chelsea Cloisters. Abyssinian was so impressive winning her turf debut two starts back at Gulfstream that most recently she was sent out against Bulletin and other talented males in the Palisades Turf Sprint, and finished a respectable third. Chelsea Cloisters, meanwhile, finished second to Bulletin in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, and certainly wasn’t helped by a five-wide trip in the Limestone Turf Sprint in her recent return from a five-month layoff. Abyssinian and Chelsea Cloisters are perfectly logical win contenders, but I’m going to take a flyer here with Kim K, who should be a very nice price. Kim K, whose connections bought her for $335,000 at a 2-year-old sale last year, won the Barretts Debutante last year. She will be making her first start since finishing 13th in the Alcibiades last fall. But she will also be making her first start on turf, and that’s the lure, because she’s bred for it. Kim K is out of Trip for A.J., who was a stakes winner and earned $430,000 on turf. Moreover, trainer Peter Miller has fine numbers and shows a flat bet profit in the categories most pertinent to Kim K’s circumstance – with layoff horses, first time on turf, and especially in turf sprints. Hanshin Cup The big question here is, what do you do with Richiesinthehouse? He is 8 for 10 with two seconds from 10 career starts on synthetic tracks and is 3 for 4 with one second in his career on the synthetic Arlington track. He has high early speed and is plenty fast enough Beyer Figure-wise to win. But Richiesinthehouse is also a major question mark at this one-mile distance, and he also figures to feel pace pressure at some point from Goneghost. I want closer types who will handle the distance and the two most logical are Nun the Less and Lanier. I’m going with Lanier, and not just because he will be the better price. Although Nun the Less caught Lanier late to win two stakes over the winter at Turfway, those were longer, two turn races. I think Lanier, who figures to get first run on Nun the Less, is the better fit for this extended one turn race at a shorter distance.