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NYRA to offer special Future Stars Pick 5 on Saturday

by Mary Eddy

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a new Future Stars Pick 5 wager on Saturday, featuring five Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifying races for juveniles at Belmont at the Big A, Keeneland and Santa Anita Park.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is $1, with a takeout rate of 15 percent. Wagering on the Future Stars Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Free Equibase past performances for the Future Stars Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country....

The sequence kicks off at 3:17 p.m. Eastern in Race 7 at Belmont at the Big A with the one-mile Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies.

The Frizette, which awards a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, features graded stakes-winner The Queens M G for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., undefeated stakes-winner Social Fortress for trainer Jamie Ness and last-out Grade 3 Pocahontas third-place finisher Icona Mama for conditioner Flint Stites.

The action continues in the second leg at the Big A as four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown saddles the formidable Grade 1-winner Chancer McPatrick with a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on the line in the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne [Race 8, 3:49 p.m.]. The son of McKinzie is undefeated in two starts, led by a last-out score in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga with a deep-closing rally.

The New York-bred Mo Plex also looks to remain undefeated after going 3-for-3 this summer at the Spa, including a win in the Grade 3 Sanford for conditioner Jeremiah Englehart. Additionally, the field includes impressive debut winners Tip Top Thomas and Uncaged for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, and Grade 2-placed Smoken Wicked for conditioner Dallas Stewart.

The middle leg features the first of two graded tilts from Santa Anita in the sequence as eight fillies vie for a berth in the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $200,000 Oak Leaf [Race 3, 5:00 p.m.].

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert saddles four talented fillies in undefeated Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante-winner Tenma, $1.8 million yearling purchase and Grade 3-winner Nooni, as well as impressive maiden winners Showers and Non Compliant. The quartet is challenged by stakes-winner In the Air Tonight, maiden-winner Jack’s Magic Girl, and the maidens Om N Joy and Rio Del Sol.

The penultimate leg will see action from Keeneland in the Grade 1, $600,000 Breeders’ Futurity [Race 9, 5:16 p.m.], a 1 1/16-mile test with a Grade 1 Juvenile berth awarded to the winner. The $1.3 million yearling purchase Ferocious was second last out to Chancer McPatrick in the Hopeful and looms large as he seeks his first graded score to go with a 7 3/4-length debut romp at the Spa that garnered a 96 Beyer for conditioner Gustavo Delgado. His challengers include the graded stakes-placed Tenacious Leader for Pletcher and the romping debut maiden winner East Avenue for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The sequence concludes back at Santa Anita with seven aspirants competing in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah [Race 9, 8:00 p.m.], which offers a berth into the Grade 1 Juvenile. McKinzie Street looks to avenge a last-out runner-up finish to Gaming in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity for conditioner Tim Yakteen, while Baffert again holds a strong hand in Futurity third-place Citizen Bull, Grade 3-winner Getaway Car, and maiden-winner Emerald Bay.

Future Stars Pick 5 - Saturday, October 5:

Leg A: Belmont at the Big A – Race 7, G1, $400K Frizette (3:17 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Belmont at the Big A – Race 8, G1, $500K Champagne (3:49 p.m.)

Leg C: Santa Anita Park – Race 3, G2, $200K Oak Leaf (5 p.m.)

Leg D: Keeneland – Race 9, G1, $600K Breeders’ Futurity (5:16 p.m.)

Leg E: Santa Anita Park – Race 9, G1, $300K American Pharoah (8 p.m.)

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.