$100 budget Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Plays: Friday Late Pick 4

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is underway and huge guarantees are being offered for multi-race wagers (Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 & Pick 6) over the next two days.

I will play several of these pools on a $100 budget, with Friday’s $500,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 in today’s spotlight.

The sequence is bookended by a pair of viable singles in Whitmore and By the Moon.

Here are my thoughts:

8^th race, True North (G2):

#8 Whitmore is the top sprinter in America. He’s opened the year with four consecutive impressive wins, registering century-topping BRIS Speed Ratings each time, and is 6-for-6 at the 6-furlong distance. Trainer Ron Moquett is focusing strictly upon sprints and while his charge is eligible to stub his toe at some point with a loss, Whitmore looks very imposing in this spot.

I will save on a back-up ticket with #1 Chief Lion and #3 Noholdingback Bear.

9^th race, New York (G2): No surprise to see Chad Brown hold a strong hand in a graded turf stakes and I am using both of his runners, #6 Sea Calisi and #8 Dacita, as “A” plays.

#2 Suffused and #3 Apple Betty are a couple of interesting alternatives and I will use “all” on one ticket.

10^th race, Belmont Gold Cup Invitational (G3): Call it a “Euro” play because I will not allow any of the six international raiders to beat me, featuring #3 Now We Can, #4 Wall of Fire, #5 Clondaw Warrior, #10 Red Cardinal, #12 Wicklow Brave and #13 St Michel on every ticket.

11^th race, Bed o’ Roses (G3): #9 By The Moon rolled to a convincing 1 ¾-length in this event last year and looks poised to make a successful title defense for Michelle Nevin. She runs well at other tracks but 5-year-old mare really loves Belmont Park, recording a 4-3-1-0 mark at Big Sandy. By the Moon enters in sharp form off a 1 ¾-length tally in the May 5 Vagrancy (G3) that netted her a 105 BRIS Speed Rating.

I will single By the Moon on a pair of tickets and add #2 High Ridge Road, #3 Indulgent, #5 Lightstream and #7 Mia Torri as back-ups.

50-cent Pick 4 tickets (Races 8-11)

Here are the three tickets I’m playing on a $100 budget:

Ticket 1: 8 with 2,3,6,8 with 3,4,5,10,12,13 with 2,3,5,7,9 ($60)

Ticket 2: 8 with All with 3,4,5,10,12,13 with 9 ($27)

Ticket 3: 1,3 with 6,8 with 3,4,5,10,12,13 with 9 ($12)

Good luck!

Check out the 2017 Belmont Stakes News & Notes page at the TwinSpires Blog