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​Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 features four stakes from Belmont Park, Churchill Downs

by Keith McCalmont

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

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.

The sequence kicks off in Race 8 from Belmont Park at 4:40 p.m. Eastern with a nine-horse field of 3-year-olds and upward traveling a one-turn mile in a starter allowance led by three-time winner Royal Tryst for trainer Mike Maker. A competitive group includes Air Show, to be saddled by Rudy Rodriguez; and Luni Sima, who has paired up 85 Beyer Speed Figures in his last two outings for trainer Peter Walder.

Action switches to Churchill for the second leg in the $200,000 Aristides [Race 9, 4:55 p.m.], a six-furlong sprint for older horses. The Larry Jones-trained Bob’s Edge has won 2-of-3 starts this year, including a rallying one-length score in the Grade 3 Whitmore in March at Oaklawn Park. Miles Ahead garnered a career-best 102 Beyer for trainer Paul McGee two starts back when besting Drain the Clock by a neck in the Gulfstream Park Sprint. A pair of entrants offer horse-for-course status with the Gregory Foley-trained Bango [12-6-1-2] and Chris Hartman’s Necker Island [10-5-0-0], boasting past success at the Louisville oval.

The middle leg will see a talented but compact group of sophomores contest nine furlongs over the Belmont inner turf in the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge [Race 9, 5:12 p.m.] led by Unanimous Consent and Napoleonic War for trainer Chad Brown. Unanimous Consent, undefeated in three starts, enters from a 1 3/4-length score in the Woodhaven on April 23 at Aqueduct, while Napoleonic War, who has won 2-of-3 starts, seeks blacktype while exiting a nose score in an optional-claimer on May 5 at Belmont. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sends out potential pacesetter Emmanuel for his turf debut after finishing third last out in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland.

The penultimate leg offers a field of eight older horses traveling nine furlongs on the Churchill Downs main track in the $200,000 Blame [Race 10, 5:26 p.m.] as the Pletcher-trained Americanrevolution makes his first start since capturing the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets in December at the Big A. The New York-bred Constitution colt has posted three consecutive triple-digit Beyers, including a career-best 108 for his 11 3/4-length romp in the Empire Classic in October at Belmont. Pletcher also saddles the multiple graded stakes placed Dynamic One, who exits a runner-up effort to returning rival Scalding in the Grade 3 Ben Ali on April 23 at Keeneland.

Closing out the sequence is the $200,000 Audubon [Race 11, 5:58 p.m.] as a field of 11 sophomores traverse nine furlongs over the Churchill turf led by another duo for Pletcher in graded-stakes winners Grand Sonata and Major General, who makes his stakes debut.

Grand Sonata, by Medaglia d’Oro, won back-to-back turf stakes at Gulfstream this winter, taking the Dania Beach in January and the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy in February. He enters from a close second in the Grade 3 Transylvania on April 8 at Keeneland, defeated less than a length by Sy Dog. Major General, by Constitution, captured the Grade 3 Iroquois over the Churchill main track in September. He stumbled at the start when off-the-board in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in March, but redeemed himself with a close second in the Grade 3 Lexington in April at Keeneland. He tries turf after fishing a distant ninth in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Opposition will be found in the Brown-trained maiden winner James Jones and the stakes-placed Speaking Scout, a two-time winner for conditioner Graham Motion. 

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, June 4:

Leg A: Belmont Park – Race 8, starter allowance (4:40 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Churchill Downs – Race 9, $200K Aristides (4:55 p.m.) 

Leg C: Belmont Park – Race 9, G2 Pennine Ridge (5:12 p.m.) 

Leg D: Churchill Downs – Race 10, $200K Blame (5:26 p.m.)

Leg E: Churchill Downs– Race 11, $200K Audubon (5:58 p.m.)