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​Sunday’s Cross County Pick 5 to feature racing from Belmont Park, Monmouth Park

by Keith McCalmont

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Sunday, featuring 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. 

Sunday’s sequence kicks off in Race 5 at 2:29 p.m. Eastern from Monmouth Park with the $100,000 Boiling Springs, a one-mile and 70-yard route for sophomore fillies led by the Chad Brown-trained Shidabhuti.

 The Practical Joke bay won her first three career starts, culminating in a victory in the one-mile Busher Invitational in March at Aqueduct Racetrack. She was last seen finishing third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Gazelle on April 8 at the Big A. She will be challenged by the lightly-raced Seduction, who graduated at second asking last out on February 12 at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; and the Kentucky-bred Miss New York, who enters from a third-place finish in the Lady’s Secret on June 10 at Monmouth.

The second leg will see a full field of 3-year-olds and up sprint 5 1/2-furlongs in a Monmouth turf allowance [Race 7, 3:27 p.m.] featuring the grass debut of New York-bred Etnico for conditioner Jorge Delgado.  

The Practical Joke sophomore graduated at second asking in March at Gulfstream Park, but was off-the-board last out in the Mike Lee, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-breds on May 29 at Belmont. The win-shy Just Jeremy, who sports a record of 20-1-3-4 for conditioner William Hogan, Jr., earned a field-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure for a runner-up effort at this distance and course on May 28; while Patriarch Artie boasts a consistent record of 6-1-2-2 over turf for trainer Steven Krebs.

The next two legs shift to Belmont, beginning with a nine-furlong allowance for New York-breds 3-years-old and up over the inner turf [Race 6, 3:42 p.m.] that will see the seasonal debut of Whistler’s Honor for conditioner Jorge Abreu.

The 4-year-old Tonalist colt was last seen earning a third-out graduation on July 15 traveling 1 1/16-miles against fellow state-breds over the Saratoga turf. A wide-open affair includes the Christophe Clement-trained Clear Conscience, who closed into a slow pace to finish second last out in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred allowance; and Blame It On Daddy, who stretches out after rallying to finish a close fifth last out in a seven-furlong state-bred sprint on June 9 in his turf debut for trainer Tom Albertrani.

The penultimate leg [Race 7, 4:16 p.m.] will see an open field of fillies and mares contest 1 1/16-miles over the Widener turf for a $50,000 tag as Bernt Again steps up to face winners for the first time after a ninth-out graduation on May 28 at Belmont.

Trained by Dominick Schettino, the Honorable Dillion sophomore earned a 66 Beyer for a 1 1/2-length score over Orange Freeze, who exited that effort to graduate last Friday here. Caironi drops in for a tag as she looks to secure her first win since her October 2021 debut for trainer Mike Miceli; and the late-running Sister Nell will be hoping for a swift pace to chase for conditioner Jose Jimenez.

The sequence closes out at Monmouth Park [Race 9, 4:24 p.m.] with a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up featuring the consistent Biz Biz Buzz for trainer Michael Trombetta.

The 4-year-old Fed Biz gelding boasts a record of 13-2-4-3 and enters from a runner-up effort in a similar turf sprint on June 11 at Monmouth. First-time gelding Detroit City makes his first appearance since an off-the-board effort in a Keeneland turf allowance in April for trainer Jack Sisterson. The 4-year-old Dialed In chestnut earned a field-best 92 Beyer in his seasonal debut when capturing a five-furlong synthetic sprint on January 21 at Gulfstream Park. 

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 – Sunday, July 2 

Leg A: Monmouth Park, Race 5 – Boiling Springs (2:29 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Monmouth Park, Race 7 – Allowance (3:27 p.m.)

Leg C: Belmont Park, Race 6 – Allowance (3:42 p.m.)

Leg D: Belmont Park, Race 7 – Claiming (4:16 p.m.)

Leg E: Monmouth Park, Race 9 – Allowance (4:24 p.m.)