Saturday’s Saratoga Race Course program is a massive one, with 14 races on the docket. The main event is the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, which goes as the 13^th race, but it’s far from the only stakes with an appealing price for those seeking value.

Here, we’ll try to unearth a few gems, and we’ll finish with a runner in the Belmont that hits me as a significant overlay at or near his likely price. Let’s get to it!

Race #6, $300,000 Wonder Again Stakes, 1:55 p.m. ET

Wonder Again Stakes entrant May Day Ready. (Eclipse Sportswire)

One of the early stakes races sees 3-year-old fillies head to the inner turf. This field is led by #6 Nitrogen, who’s done nothing wrong in winning four stakes races so far this season. I will not tell you she’s a bad favorite, but I do think the probable odds disparity between her and the most likely second choice is too large.

#2 May Day Ready (9-2) made the Andrew Champagne Gambling Hall of Fame with a first-out score at odds of 25-1 at the Spa last summer. She then captured two stakes races before running second behind world-class filly Lake Victoria in the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. After that, her connections took her to Japan for a Group 1 race in December, where she didn’t fire, at all, whatsoever.

Her connections have taken it slow in 2025, and this will be her first start since the disappointment at Kyoto. However, we know May Day Ready can beat Nitrogen, because she did that in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Anything close to the morning-line price on May Day Ready is an overlay, and while I respect Nitrogen, I think the true value in the Wonder Again lies elsewhere.

Race #12, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes, 6:09 p.m. ET

#6 Spirit of St Louis is a deserving favorite. The New York-bred has turned into one of the best turf horses in training, and he’s going for his third Grade 1 win of the season. However, I think there’s a bigger price that merits consideration, too.

#4 Carson’s Run (12-1) had every right to need his 2025 debut in the Fort Marcy Stakes, in which he ran second behind #5 Deterministic. Deterministic loves ultra-firm turf, as evidenced by prior wins over similar courses. It’s possible, though, that we see a much different kind of course on Saturday with some rain in the forecast.

Some cut in the ground would be welcome news for Carson’s Run, who captured the Saratoga Derby Invitational at this route of ground last summer on turf rated as good. He really doesn’t need to move forward all that much from his 3-year-old form to make an impact in the Manhattan, and he’s very likely to be sharper in his second race after the long layoff. If he is, I think he could light up the tote board in the race before the big one.

Race #13, $2 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, 7:04 p.m. ET

Peter Pan Stakes winner Hill Road. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Most of the attention, obviously, will go to #2 Sovereignty and #7 Journalism. I’m not here to tell you that’s unwarranted. However, the addition of #5 Crudo to the field last week means there’s a bit more pace signed on, and I think that’s welcome news for a closer in the field that’s flown under the radar.

#1 Hill Road (10-1) finally got a pace to close into last time out in the Peter Pan Stakes. It took him a while to get going, but he made up significant ground late and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. That race’s final time is comparable to that of 1 1/8-mile races run by both Sovereignty and Journalism, and he ran his last furlong in almost exactly 12 seconds.

The way Hill Road runs indicates that an extra eighth of a mile shouldn’t be an issue, and the combination of Chad Brown and Irad Ortiz Jr. has won plenty of big races. I think Hill Road has a big chance to hit the board on Saturday and overlooking him hits me as a mistake. I’ll be playing him in exotics, for sure, and if one of the big two doesn’t fire, I think this will be the one who stands to benefit.