by NYRA Press Office
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will continue its partnership with Oaklawn Park in hosting a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, highlighted by two divisions of the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel at Oaklawn.
Saturday's sequence will begin with Race 7 at the Big A at 4:50 p.m. Eastern with an eight-horse field of New York-bred sophomores competing in a six-furlong sprint. The remaining legs will feature stakes races contested at Oaklawn beginning with Race 7, at 5:21 p.m., the Grade 2, $350,000 Azeri featuring multiple Grade 1-winners Elate and Midnight Bisou squaring off against Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Shamrock Rose.
The third leg of the Cross Country Pick 5 is the first split of the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel (Race 8, 5:57 p.m.) featuring the undefeated Improbable taking on well-regarded Galilean in a nine-horse field. The penultimate leg of the multi-race wager, the $350,000 Essex Handicap (Race 9, 6:29 p.m.) at 1 1/16-miles for 4-year-olds and upward, drew a contentious field of nine, with the second split of the Grade 2 Rebel (Race 10, 7:06 p.m.), a field of 10 highlighted by the sophomore debut of Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old colt Game Winner, to close out the sequence.
All the stakes action will be shown live on FOX Sports Saturday At The Races, airing 5-7:30 p.m. Eastern on FS2. The live broadcast will feature all four stakes events from Oaklawn as well as the $200,000 Inside Information, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares from Gulfstream Park.
The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. There will be a mandatory payout of the entire pool.
Aqueduct-Oaklawn Park Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, March 16:
Leg 1 - Aqueduct, Race 7 (4:50 p.m.)
Leg 2 - Oaklawn, Race 7: Grade 2, $350,000 Azeri (5:21 p.m.)
Leg 3 - Oaklawn, Race 8: Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel (5:57 p.m.)
Leg 4 - Oaklawn, Race 9: $350,000 Essex Handicap (6:29 p.m.)
Leg 5 - Oaklawn, Race 10: Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel (7:06 p.m.)