Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 to feature racing from Belmont Park, Churchill Downs and Monmouth Park

by Mary Eddy

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday with racing from Churchill Downs and stakes action from Belmont Park and Monmouth Park. 

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 Belmont Park and partner tracks across the country.

The sequence kicks off at 2:13 p.m. Eastern in Race 4 at Churchill Downs as an overflow field of fillies and mares 3-years-old and up contest a one-mile turf maiden special weight. The Eddie Kenneally-trained Just Say So earned a 70 Beyer Speed Figure two starts back for a closing runner-up effort in her first try beyond sprint distances before finishing fourth in her latest outing. 

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher saddles the well-bred Vanished for her first start off three works at Churchill, including a half-mile breeze in 49.40 seconds on Saturday. Evie’s Hall, whose second dam is Grade 1-winner Sis City, also debuts for conditioner Tom Amoss off a series of works at Churchill. 

The action switches to Belmont Park for graded action in the next two legs, beginning with Race 5 [3:07 p.m.], the Grade 1, $600,000 Man o’ War for older horses traveling 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf. Trainer Charlie Appleby shipped Warren Point for his North American debut off two solid efforts in the Middle East. The son of Dubawi won the Al Khalifa Cup two starts back at Bahrain and enters from a close runner-up effort to Russian Emperor in the Group 1 HH The Amir Trophy at Doha. 

A pair of multiple graded stakes-winning 9-year-olds in the Mike Maker-trained New York-bred Red Knight and Hall of Famer Bill Mott-trained Channel Maker will look to add to their accomplished resumes against the likes of 4-year-old opponents Verstappen and Howe Street, the former of which arrives from a victory in the Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 22 at Keeneland. 

The sequence continues with the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan [Race 6, 3:40 p.m.] as a field of nine assemble for the traditional local prep for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes. Pletcher saddles Go Soldier Go for his U.S. debut after scoring a stakes victory two starts back in the U.A.E., as well as Classic Catch, who was last seen finishing a closing fifth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 8. 

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox will also saddle two in the undefeated Bishops Bay and the graded stakes-placed Slip Mahoney, both of whom vie for their first stakes conquest. West Coast shipper Henry Q and the stakes-placed Summer Cause both look to make the grade for trainers Doug O’Neill and Christophe Clement, respectively. 

The penultimate leg features a competitive allowance in Race 7 [3:50 p.m.] at Churchill as an overflow field of 12 have entered the 1 3/8-mile test over the turf. The Mike Maker trainee Jarreau seeks a breakthrough victory after hitting the board in each of his last five starts dating to a runner-up effort last May at the Louisville oval. 

Bosque Redondo was a last-out winner by a nose for trainer Chad Brown and makes his first start for conditioner Alexis Claire while the Juan Cano-trained Policy Option looks to build off a narrow defeat last out in the same condition. Foreign Relations, trained by Conor Murphy, is still in search of his first victory against winners after he crossed the finish line first in an April 19 allowance at Keeneland, but was disqualified and placed 10th. 

The sequence closes out in Race 8 [4:05 p.m.] from Monmouth Park, the $100,000 Long Branch for sophomores traveling one mile and 70 yards. Slip Mahoney was also entered here by Cox and would face steep opposition from the John Mc Allen-trained No Confession, who has won his last three races in a row. Trainer Butch Reid, Jr. saddles the duo of impressive last-out allowance winner Didinger and dual stakes-winner Ninetyprcentmaddie, while Offaly Cool boasts a 4 3/4-length optional claiming victory on April 18 at Parx Racing for trainer Jacinto Solis. The Kantharos gelding is a perfect 2-for-2 in races where he has set the pace. 

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

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 best way to bet every race of the Belmont 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, May 13

Leg A: Churchill Downs, Race 4 – MSW (2:13 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Belmont Park, Race 5 – G1 Man o’ War (3:07 p.m.)

Leg C: Belmont Park, Race 6 – G3 Peter Pan (3:40 p.m.)

Leg D: Churchill Downs, Race 7 – allowance (3:50 p.m.)

Leg E: Monmouth Park, Race 8 – $100K Long Branch (4:05 p.m.)