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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 features action from Belmont Park and Oaklawn Park

by Mary Eddy

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing from Belmont Park and Oaklawn Park.

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

Saturday's sequence starts at 4:25 p.m. Eastern in Race 7 from Belmont, an allowance optional claiming event for 3-year-olds and upward travelling 1 1/16 miles over the main track. Graded stakes-placed The Reds will look to rebound off a third-place finish last out at the same condition on March 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer John Kimmel. The son of Tonalist picked up his graded placing with a second in an off-the-turf edition of the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge last year at Belmont.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out Southern District to try and secure his second allowance in a row after a dominating 6 3/4-length win at the Big A on February 5. The 4-year-old son of Union Rags breezed a half-mile in 49.92 seconds on Saturday in company with Grade 3 Withers winner Early Voting over the Belmont dirt training track.

An overflow field of New York-breds 3-year-olds and up will contest the second leg of the sequence in Race 8 [5:01 p.m.] at Belmont, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf allowance. MyRacehorse’s Salute to America will make his first start against winners after breaking his maiden at fourth asking on April 7 at the Big A for trainer Tom Morley. A bay son of American Freedom, Salute to America stalked the pace and took charge at the sixteenth pole to come home an easy 1 1/4 length winner in state-bred maiden special weight company.

Calumet Farm’s Timbuktu returns from a nine-month layoff for trainer Brad Cox to make his first appearance since a gritty debut maiden score in July at Saratoga Race Course. The son of Munnings had been working steadily at Turfway Park before moving to Belmont in early April to make his final preparations.

The sequence heads south to Oaklawn Park for the middle leg with nine sophomore maidens travelling a two-turn mile in Race 7 [5:04 p.m.]. Rider’s Special enters from a good second-place effort where he was defeated 2 3/4 lengths at odds of 23-1 for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. The Ron Moquette-trained Magnificus will also look to improve from a second-place outing after he was beaten 3 1/2 lengths at the same condition on March 19 at the Hot Springs oval. Other aspirants include Speed Bias, who finished fourth in his career debut for trainer Brad Cox while showing some promise in the final stages of the six-furlong sprint on April 2.

The penultimate leg features stakes action from Belmont in the $100,000 Elusive Quality [Race 9, 5:32 p.m.] for 4-year-olds and upward sprinting seven furlongs over the Widener turf course. The field is headlined by multiple graded stakes-placed Value Proposition for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown. The dark bay ridgling was last seen finishing a pacesetting third in the one-mile Danger’s Hour on April 9 at the Big A. Multiple graded stakes-placed Proven Strategies will cut back to sprinting as well for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse after a last-out victory in a one-mile optional claimer on March 13 at Gulfstream Park to end a six-race losing streak.

Also featured in the competitive field of 11 is veteran gelding Snapper Sinclair, who will attempt to rebound in his first start from a distant 10th in the Godolphin Mile at Meydan on March 26 for Steve Asmussen. The 7-year-old son of City Zip brings the most seasoned resume to the field, boasting over $1.8 million in earnings and a record of 38-7-9-4.

The sequence concludes at Oaklawn Park in Race 8 [5:39 p.m.], a six-furlong optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up. Reed Kan will make his first start off the claim for owner and trainer Steve Asmussen after he was haltered for $25,000 out of a well-beaten second-place finish in an optional claimer on April 9 at Oaklawn. The 7-year-old ridgling has won 11-of-28 lifetime starts and has earned over $400,000. Devil’s Tower won his first three races this year before he finished sixth in his last outing sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in a March 20 allowance. Trained by Chris Hartman, the 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has gone 3-for-5 since being claimed for $20,000 in November at Churchill Downs.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, which features a low 15 percent takeout, will continue each Saturday throughout the year.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer 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 spring/summer 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 – Saturday, April 30:

Leg A: Belmont Park – Race 7, allowance optional claiming (4:25 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Belmont Park – Race 8, allowance (5:01 p.m.)

Leg C: Oaklawn Park – Race 7, maiden special weight (5:04 p.m.)

Leg D: Belmont Park – Race 9, $100K Elusive Quality (5:32 p.m.)

Leg E: Oaklawn Park – Race 8, allowance optional claiming (5:39 p.m.)