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​Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 features 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 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 at Churchill Downs at 4:22 p.m. Eastern with a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up that drew an overflow field of 16. Ridley’s Major, a Gun Runner sophomore trained by Chad Brown, will try dirt after a pair of on-the-board efforts in a trio of turf starts. A loaded field includes the Philip Sims-trained War Campaign, who stretches out after overcoming a slow start to finish second sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on debut in April at Keeneland; and Scotland Yard, who will look to make amends for an off-the-board effort last out over a sloppy main track at Keeneland for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Action switches to Belmont for the second leg [Race 8, 4:40 p.m.], a one-turn allowance optional-claiming mile over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds and up led by a pair of Brown trainees in Highly Motivated and Stage Raider. Highly Motivated finished 10th in last year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on the heels of a game runner-up effort to Essential Quality in the Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland. He made his seasonal debut last out with a fourth-place finish in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint on April 16 at Keeneland. Stage Raider, by Pioneerof the Nile, is a 4-year-old half-brother to 2018 Triple Crown-winner Justify. The well-related bay colt was a three-length winner at this distance over Big Sandy last May and will make his third start of the season with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

The stakes action commences in the middle leg [Race 9, 5:12 p.m.] as the Brown-trained Haughty, a close third last out in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar, makes her seasonal debut in this seven-furlong turf sprint for sophomore fillies. She will face a trio of contenders for trainer Christophe Clement in Derrynane, Breeze Easy and Anador. Chardy Party, a rallying winner of her career debut in April at Keeneland, will make her stakes debut for trainer Wesley Ward.

The penultimate leg [Race 10, 5:26 p.m.] will see a field of eight older fillies and mares travel 12 furlongs over the Churchill turf in the $160,000 Keertana Overnight. Temple City Terror, a four-time winner on turf for trainer Brendan Walsh, will look to defend her title after posting a narrow score in this event last year. The 6-year-old Temple City bay enters from a close fifth in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance on April 14 at Keeneland. The Arnaud Delacour-trained Luck Money has hit the board in a trio of graded turf marathons since July, including the Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park, the Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay on May 7 at Belmont. 

Closing out the sequence is a six-furlong allowance sprint [Race 11, 5:58 p.m.] from Churchill featuring a field of 11 sophomore fillies led by the stakes-placed Ontheonesandtwos for trainer Norm Casse. The Jimmy Creed chestnut, who finished second in the Debutante in June at Churchill Downs, was a game second last out in an optional-claiming sprint on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. Steep opposition will be provided by Stonestreet Stables’ Ari Oakley, who garnered a field-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure last out in her fifth-out maiden score for Asmussen; and Static Fire, who makes her return to action following a gate-to-wire debut win on turf at Saratoga Race Course in September for trainer Brian Lynch.

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, May 25:

Leg A: Churchill Downs – Race 8, maiden special weight (4:22 p.m. Eastern)

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

Leg C: Belmont Park – Race 9, G3 Soaring Softly (5:12 p.m.) 

Leg D: Churchill Downs – Race 10, $160K Keertana (5:26 p.m.)

Leg E: Churchill Downs– Race 11, allowance (5:58 p.m.)