Garden City Highlight at Belmont Park on Saturday

The $250,000 Garden City is the first of nine Grade 1 races during the Belmont Park Fall Championship meeting. The race drew a field of eight three-year-old fillies that will go nine furlongs on the inner turf course.

The race is the third leg of the Late Pick 4, which has a $300,000 guaranteed pool.

The late Pick 4 starts with a tough maiden special weight race that drew a field of ten, with eight of them first time starters.

Brother in Arms and Joe Vann are the only two in the field with a race under their belt, and they both showed good early speed only to come out on the wrong end of a photo in their last outings.

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Among the first timers, Adios Charlie is sent out by Stanley Hough, who attracted the services of jockey Ramon Dominguez.

The following race is a first level allowance race on the turf for state breds that drew a competitive field of ten.

The late running John Wyatt should get plenty of pace to run at and his late running style could be the key to the race.

In addition, the Robert Barbara trainee gets a jockey upgrade from Jose Lezcano, who is coming off a poor Saratoga meeting, and the trainer will give a leg up to Alan Garcia.

Check the Label comes into the Garden City riding a three-race win streak, last out a good looking win in the Virginia Oaks (G3) at Colonial Downs.

Two back she won the Sands Point over the Belmont Park turf, and if there is a race where you are looking for a single on your Pick 4 ticket, Check the Label might be a good choice.

The final leg of the Pick 4 is a $25,000 claiming race on the turf for non-winners of two. The race drew a full field of ten with three sitting on the also-eligible list.

This might be the toughest leg of the four race sequence to solve, and you may want to go four or five deep in the final leg.

One live longshot is Broken Home, who is making his turf debut for trainer Edward Barker, who claimed the gelding in August for $25,000.

The gelding has three sibs that have won on turf, and at the 10/1 morning line odds, this guy could be the key to a handsome payoff today.

I will also use Holy Ego and On Vacation on my ticket, and those with deep pockets may want to consider adding Academy Run and College Grad.

Here is a look at my top pick and my top three contenders in each of the four races making up the $300,000 guaranteed Pick 4:

BEL Race 7 Md Sp Wt (4:11 ET)
Adios Charlie is a $400K Ocala purchase making his debut for the Hough barn that is winless with his last 24 first time starters. If we go back farther the barn did win with three debut runners in ’08, and going back five yes the barn is nine for 98. The colt is by Indian Charlie (16% winners with debut runners) out of the stakes winner Teak Totem ($105K) who has dropped two foals to race, both winners, top earner Streakin Mohican ($92K). The colt has a couple of quick works on the morning tab and we should catch a fair price.

Selections: Adios Charlie – Joe Vann – Brother in Arms

BEL Race 8 Alw $41,000N1X (4:43 ET)
John Wyatt made a good late rally but could not catch a loose on the lead gate to wire winner last out in a runner up finish. The gelding came with a good late run and now after a couple of runner up finishes finds a spot where the race is top heavy with early speed types. The pace should be brisk and this guy should be rolling late.

Selections: John Wyatt – Siete Machos – Talk Therapy

BEL Race 9 The Garden City G1 (5:15 ET)
Check the Label makes her first start since winning the Virginia Oaks (G3) at Colonial Downs, her third consecutive graded stakes win. She was headed toward the Lake Placid (G3) on Aug. 22 at the Spa, but that race as taken off the turf and she lands here. The filly has landed in the exacta in seven of her nine career starts on grass and while she steps up in class there is only one Grade 1 winner (Negligee) in the field, and she won that one on the fake stuff at Keeneland. The 5/2 morning line will likely look more like 8/5 by post time, but she look as if she will be tough to beat in this spot.

Selections: Check the Label – Negligee – Queen of the Creek

BEL Race 10 Clm $25,000N2L (5:47 ET)
Broken Vow tries grass for the first time here after stalking the early pace form the inside and coming up short in the stretch in a fifth place finish for a $35K tag. He makes his second start for the Barker barn and he may take to the turf. He has three sibs that have won on grass with one of them being Happy Ticket, who only tried turf once, but racked up more $1.6 million on the main track. This guy should be a decent price in this spot.

Selections: Broken Vow – Holy Ego – On Vacation

Good luck padding your bankroll today!