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Mandatory payout of Empire 6 set for Sunday, August 23

by Keith McCalmont

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the Sunday, August 23 card at Saratoga Race Course will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $442,574 heading into Friday's nine-race card at the Spa.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the Saratoga Live broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

Sunday's Empire 6 sequence kicks off in Race 4 at 2:54 p.m. Eastern with a 1 1/16-mile New York-bred maiden claiming route on the inner turf featuring a field of eight led by No Salt, a sophomore son of Tonalist trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

In Race 5 [3:33 p.m. ET], a nine-furlong allowance route for New York-breds, a hard-knocking field of seven features Six Percent for trainer Jimmy Jerkens and last out off-the-turf maiden winner Too Early for conditioner Linda Rice.

A field of eight maiden claiming turf sprinters [and one main-track only entrant] take to the Mellon turf in Race 6 [4:09 p.m. ET] including Mia Bea Star for red-hot trainer David Donk and Silent Empress, a First Samurai bay looking to improve second-time out for conditioner Christophe Clement.

In Race 7 [4:43 p.m. ET], a field of seven sprint six furlongs in an optional-claiming affair on the main track in a wide-open race that includes 11-time winner Pete's Play Call for trainer John Toscano and the Rice-trained multiple stakes placed Mount Travers.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Diana [Race 8, 5:18 p.m. ET], at nine furlongs on the inner turf, will see the Chad Brown-trained Sistercharlie bid for history by becoming the first three-time winner of the historic event in its 82nd running. A salty field of six includes Sistercharlie's five-time Grade 1-winning stablemate Rushing Fall and Canada's reigning Horse of the Year and last-out Grade 2 Ballston Spa champ Starship Jubilee.

Closing out the sequence in Race 9 [5:51 p.m. ET] is a vexing New York-bred maiden claiming route on the Mellon turf as a field of eight looks to graduate at the Spa. Donk and Clement feature again with the Donk-conditioned Ringgood dropping in from restricted maiden special weight company at fifth asking, while the Clement-trained Allied Invasion will look to improve on his 62 Beyer Speed Figure second time out.

The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

For more information on the Empire 6, please visit http://www.nyrabets.com.