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Sunday’s Cross Country Pick 5 to features racing from Aqueduct Racetrack and Keeneland

by Mary Eddy

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Sunday with action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Keeneland.

The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Aqueduct Racetrack and partner tracks across the country.

The sequence begins at 1:32 p.m. Eastern in Race 2 at Keeneland, a 5 1/2-furlong turf maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. The overflow field will see the debut of the Ignacio Correas-trained All I Want Is You, who enters from a sharp April 15 half-mile breeze from the gate in 46.80 seconds over the Keeneland dirt, the fastest of 100 works that day. Glamour Anna also enters from an April 15 bullet work when covering a half-mile in 47.84 over the Skylight Training Center Dirt for trainer Anna Navarrete. The Wesley Ward-trained Cowichan has hit the board in each of her four lifetime outings and enters from a close third in a September maiden at Saratoga Race Course.

The action continues at Keeneland in Race 5 [3:08 p.m.] with an overflow field in a one-mile turf allowance for older fillies and mares. For the Flag made a winning debut for her new trainer Jimmy Toner last out, scoring a fourth-out graduation in frontrunning fashion in a one-mile maiden special weight in March at Gulfstream Park. The effort garnered a 77 Beyer Speed Figure. Dual stakes-placed Pioneer’s Edge will vie to return to winning ways for conditioner Josie Carroll, while four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out Lakota Spirit for her first start since a distant fourth-place finish in the June 25 Wild Applause at Belmont Park.

The middle leg features a salty second-level six-furlong outer turf allowance for older horses in Race 7 [4:34 p.m.] at Aqueduct, led by the return of multiple stakes-placed Grooms All Bizness for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr. The son of Fed Biz drops in off two consecutive stakes starts, most recently finishing a game second in the Carle Place on October 23 at Belmont at the Big A.

The Rafael Romero-trained Surprise Boss was last seen posting a runner-up effort on March 19 where he was bested a neck by Joey Freshwater, who exited that effort to win the Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 8. Other stakes-performing challengers include Saint Selby, who finished third in the state-bred John Morrissey in August for trainer Rob Atras, and the Tom Morley-trained Seven Scents, who won the Pulse Power Turf Sprint last January.

The penultimate leg will offer stakes action from the Big A in Race 8 [5:06 p.m.], the $200,000 NYSSS Park Avenue for eligible New York-sired sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs. Impressive maiden winner Clover Street will look to build upon a 5 1/2-length romp last out for trainer Mark Hennig in a seven-furlong state-bred maiden special weight. The daughter of Teuflesberg will face a trio of stakes performers in the Linda Rice-trained multiple stakes-winner Les Bon Temps, the Brad Cox-trained NYSSS Fifth Avenue runner-up Midtown Lights, and Little Linzee, who has hit the board in three consecutive stakes for conditioner Domenick Schettino. The undefeated Honest Banker also looks to make a successful stakes debut for trainer Rob Atras and boasts a 2-for-2 record over the Aqueduct main track.

The sequence closes out in Race 9 [5:16 p.m.] from Keeneland as a full field of sophomore fillies look to notch their first victory in a one-mile maiden special weight on the turf. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will hope to see Boltoro finish one better than her last outing when she finished a game second in an off-the-turf maiden on March 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course, an effort that garnered a field-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure. Her rivals include Rosy Tomorrows, who finished a prominent fourth on debut in March for trainer Mike Maker, and the Sarah Hamilton trainee Golden Runner, who tries dirt for the first time after a pair of third-place finishes over the Turfway Park synthetic.

The Wesley Ward-trained Tactical Joke could provide interest should she draw in off the also-eligible list. The daughter of Practical Joke finished third in her January 27 debut sprinting five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf and was defeated 1 1/4 lengths after rallying from seventh-of-9.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct spring 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 best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Sunday, April 23
Leg A: Keeneland, Race 2 – MSW (1:32 p.m. Eastern)
Leg B: Keeneland, Race 5 – allowance (3:08 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct Racetrack, Race 7 – allowance (4:34 p.m.)
Leg D: Aqueduct Keeneland, Race 8 – NYSSS Park Avenue (5:06 p.m.)
Leg E: Keeneland, Race 9 – MSW (5:16 p.m.)