Steve Matthews' Belmont at the Big A selections for Friday, May 23

Best bet: CAPT JAX PARROW (9)

Best value: SNOWY EVENING (7)

FIRST: Prince of Broadway owns win-early breeding on both sides of pedigree. Love You and Vernon Valley are uncoupled newcomers from the Mark Casse barn; care to flip a coin? Looks to Kill is the only member of this field to have started; charting a must.

SECOND: More for Sure consistently logs the field's fastest late-pace figures. Callin Dana ships in from SoCal for Neil Drysdale; dangerous. Magnum's Microbrst could prove tough on a soft lead.

THIRD: Bettrluckythangood is training sharply for first start since last fall. Bourbon Day handles marathon distances; very playable. Palazzi could impact if pace meltdown ensues.

FOURTH: O P Firecracker was pace-compromised when second last time; forward move predicted in first start for Rudy Rodriguez. Khafre bested top selection by more than seven lengths when allowed to crawl on the lead last out; gets another soft trip? Tiberius Mercurius is competitive on best efforts.

FIFTH: Valentine Gift drilled twice since moving to new barn; improvement expected. Despo's Dream also makes first start since claimed and is more than good enough on "A" efforts. Dashing Della is speedy but suspect at the distance; mixed message.

SIXTH: Lou should pack enhanced late kick with cutback to sprint. Consider It Done, an uncoupled barn mate of top selection, is a last-race winner that could fall through the cracks in the wagering. Social Hour, a wire-to-wire winner in last, could play out as the main speed once again.

SEVENTH: Snowy Evening could get ideal setup in field with sufficient speed. Bam's Bliss Kiss could prove very tough if able to clear other front-runners. Slightly Busy was a clear-cut winner in last; right in the thick of this.

EIGHTH: Mad Banker pressed fast fractions when a determined winner in last at Parx; more to come. Top Gun Rocket tallied swift final fraction when winning last at Keeneland; very playable. Timaeus regressed last out after string of strong efforts; very interesting.

NINTH: Capt Jax Parrow was a change-of-pace third in last; breakthrough predicted. Kings and Queens makes first start with maiden-claiming tag; worth long look. Omaha Pistol bested top pick by more than seven lengths last time; be no surprise. Runamor has failed at odds-on in last two starts; you've been warned.

By Steve Matthews

steve.matthews@newsday.com