Coglianese / NYRA Photo Photo

NYRA partners with Monmouth Park, Woodbine Racetrack for Sunday's Cross Country Pick 5

by Ryan Martin

The New York Racing Association will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Sunday featuring racing action from Belmont Park, Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey and Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario.

New York-bred fillies and mares get things started in the first leg, a six-furlong allowance event over Belmont's inner turf course in Race 6 with a 3:41 p.m. post time. Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Matzo Bella is the 8-5 morning line favorite for the event and seeks her first victory since breaking her maiden in February.

Action shifts to the Jersey Shore for the second leg of the sequence, where nine juveniles, plus two main-track only entrants, will line up to seek their first career victory. Freshman sire Liam's Map will be represented by a pair of runners looking for their first win, including Little Harbour for trainer Kelly Breen and Oceans Map for trainer Gregg Sacco. The event will be Race 7 with a scheduled post time of 3:58 p.m.

A half-hour later, Woodbine will host the middle leg of the Cross Country Pick 5. Carded as Race 7, the mile-and-70-yard maiden special weight for 2-year-olds features Mine That Star, a Mark Casse-trained half-brother to 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Belmont will host the remaining two legs of the sequence. The penultimate leg is the Sunday feature- the $100,000 Allied Forces over the Widener turf course going six furlongs. Carded as Race 8 with a 4:45 p.m. post time, the event features Grade 1-placed Uncle Benny as well as Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Neverland Rock, who was placed in his last four starts.

The final leg is a 1 1/16-mile $25,000 claiming event over the Widener Turf Course, where three runners are last out winners, including Golden Spear, who was a narrow winner at Saratoga last out. Carded as the ninth race finale at Belmont, the race will go off at 5:17 p.m.

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.

Belmont Park-Monmouth-Woodbine Cross Country Pick 5
Leg A: Belmont Park-Race 6 (3:41 pm)
Leg B: Monmouth Park-Race 7 (3:58 pm)
Leg C: Woodbine-Race 7 (4:28 pm)
Leg D: Belmont Park-Race 8 ($100,000 Allied Forces, 4:45 pm)
Leg E: Belmont Park-Race 9 (5:17 pm)