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NYRA to offer Whitney Weekend All-Turf Pick 5

by Keith McCalmont

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a special all-stakes Whitney Weekend All-Turf Pick 5, linking races from Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Whitney Weekend All-Turf Pick 5, featuring a $0.50 base, low 15 percent takeout and mandatory payout, kicks off Friday in Race 8 at 5:10 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 2, $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational for sophomore fillies at 1 3/16-miles over the Mellon turf and continues one race later with the Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame [Race 9, 5:45 p.m.] at one-mile on the inner turf for sophomores.

The wager concludes with a trio of races on Saturday’s lucrative 13-race Whitney Day card with the third leg going as the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational [Race 7 at 3:21 p.m.] at 1 3/16-miles for sophomore over the Mellon turf and followed by the Listed $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure [Race 9, 4:29 p.m.] at 1 1/16-miles on the inner turf for older horses which have not won a graded race this year. The sequence concludes with the Grade 2, $300,000 Troy [Race10, 5:04 p.m.] at 5 1/2-furlongs over the Mellon turf for older horses.

Saturday’s 13-race Whitney Day card will offer five Pick 5s each boasting a low 15 percent takeout, including the traditional Early Pick 5 [Race 1 – 5] and Late Pick 5 [Race 9 – 13] which offer a carryover provision. The trio of middle Pick 5 sequences will each feature a mandatory payout with sequences spanning Race 3 – Race 7; Race 5 – Race 9; and an all-stakes Pick 5 from Race 7 – Race 11.

The all-stakes Pick 5 kicks off in Race 7 at 3:21 p.m. with the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational and includes the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster [Race 8, 3:54 p.m.], the Listed $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure [Race 9, 4:29 p.m.], the Grade 2, $300,000 Troy [Race 10, 5:04 p.m.] and concludes in Race 11 at 5:42 p.m. with the featured Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, a nine-furlong test for older horses offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

First post on Saturday’s card is 12:05 p.m. Eastern, with gates opening to the public at 10:30 a.m.

FOX Saratoga Saturday will present live coverage and analysis of Whitney Day from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on FOX. Saratoga Live will precede broadcast coverage and will air on the FOX Sports family of networks beginning at noon. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.