Cross Country Pick 5 returns on Saturday with all-Grade 1 sequence from Belmont Park and Keeneland

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on the first four Saturdays in October featuring races from Belmont Park 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 NYRA Bets, 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 Belmont Park and partner tracks across the country.

NYRA will offer the Cross Country Pick 5 on October 3, 10, 17, and 24, beginning on Saturday with an all-Grade 1 sequence from Belmont Park and Keeneland. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://racing.nyrabets.com/special-wagers.

Saturday’s sequence kicks off at approximately 3:53 p.m. Eastern with Belmont Park’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne in Race 8 and Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette [Race 9, 4:31 p.m.], then action moves to Keeneland for the Grade 1, $800,000 First Lady [Race 8, 4:44 p.m.], the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity [Race 9, 5:16 p.m.] and the Grade 1 Turf Mile [Race 10, 5:48 p.m.].

The Grade 1 Champagne, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is headlined by U. S. S. Valor, a second-out winner at Saratoga Race Course, who earned a division-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. The War of Will bay rematches with the Chad Brown-trained Gaudreau after finishing third to him on debut.

The five-time Eclipse Award-winning Brown sends out Libby Lloyd in the Grade 1 Frizette [Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen] off a 10-length debut win in August at Saratoga. The Into Mischief bay earned a 78 Beyer in victory, tied for the field-high with New York-bred stakes-winner Velora for trainer Linda Rice and third-out Spa maiden winner Rum Twist for conditioner Mark Hennig.

The Grade 1 First Lady is a wide open affair with a field of 11, but dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse appears to hold a strong hand with Grade 1 winners Classic Q and And One More Time. Trainer Brendan Walsh sends out a two-pronged attack of his own with Lush Lips and Expensive Queen, the latter having won four of her last five starts, including in a dead-heat with the Brown-trained returning foe Segesta last out in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley in April.

Coach Pope may be a hunch bet for nearby University of Kentucky basketball fans, but the Tapit bay also brings top credentials to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Coach Pope won by 12 1/2 lengths last out at Churchill Downs after a debut second between Gaudreau and U. S. S. Valor at Saratoga. Impressive Spa maiden winner Q B Rocket steps up in class as he makes his second career start for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox.

The sequence concludes with the Grade 1 Turf Mile, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which will see the Brown-conditioned Zulu Kingdom seek his third Grade 1 victory. Steep opposition will be provided by the reigning New York-bred Horse of the Year Rhetorical, who will seek the same achievement for trainer Will Walden. 

General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/.

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