>Belmont | Race 5 | Post Time 3:36 EDT | Go To The TimeformUS PPs

This might be the most interesting race on the card, as you can make a valid case for almost all of the runners in this field. However, there is one runner in particular that I want to bet today.

FOREVER IN LOVE (#9) made his debut against open company last time, and he just didn’t get the right trip. That race was run at a time, towards the end of the Saratoga meet, when the rails were down and horses that raced along the hedge had an advantage. While Forever in Love was not extremely wide, he did have to race in the two- to three-path throughout and was spun even wider for the stretch drive. Considering that the race was won by a frontrunner, I don’t think he had a chance to put forth his best effort.

Today, Forever in Love figures to get more pace to close into, with the likes of speeds such as Mighty Mo (#1), Toughest ‘Ombre (#3), and Cloontia (#4) among the cast of rivals. This Linda Rice trainee should be a fair price today, and I believe he’s good enough to come out on top given the right setup.

Others to include in exactas and trifectas with my top selection are Mighty Mo (#1), who was steadied after getting intimidated at the top of the stretch when facing tougher company last time; the New York-bred Cloontia (#4), who may have competition for the early lead this time; Intensity (#6), who has a right to move forward off his decent return for Chad Brown; and Cave Johnson (#8), who might have won last time had he not been forced to alter course at the top of the stretch.

THE PLAY

Win: 9

Exacta Key Box: 9 with 1,4,6,8

Trifecta: 9 with 1,3,4,6,8 with 1,3,4,6,8