Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, encompassing all graded stakes across Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack, paid $584 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The total pool was $194,618.
Monmouth, located in Oceanport, N.J., hosted the first two legs of the sequence, starting when favorite Global Campaign ran down Bal Harbour in the stretch and outkicked Math Wizard by 1 ½ lengths to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup in Race 10. Trained by Stanley Hough, Global Campaign, the winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park, returned $7 on a $2 win wager. Jorge Vargas, Jr. was the winning jockey.
In the second leg, 10-1 Aquaphobia pulled off the upset, posting a one-length victory in the Grade 1 United Nations going 1 3/8 miles on the turf. The Mike Maker trainee paid $23.40, hitting the wire in 2:12.63 in Race 11 under New Jersey-born rider Joe Bravo.
An international flavor was added to the Cross Country Pick 5 in the third leg, when Lady Grace won the Grade 2 Royal North, contested at six furlongs on the turf, in Woodbine's Race 9. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, an 11-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's top trainer, Lady Grace, under jockey Kazushi Kimura, was seventh in the eight-horse field at the half-mile mark before making up ground entering the stretch and surging home in a 1:06.90 final time at the Rexdale, Ontario-based track. She returned $14.80.
Monmouth's signature race, the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell, lived up to its billing in an exciting fourth contest of the sequence in Race 12. Authentic, who gained notoriety early this year while on the Triple Crown prep trail, moved himself back into contention for September's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, edging Ny Traffic by a nose to win the 1 1/8-mile race, securing an all-fees paid berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Keeneland in addition to 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. With Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Mike Smith handing the training and riding responsibilities, respectively, Authentic posted a final time of 1:50.45 as the favorite, paying $3.20.
Historic Saratoga rounded out the loaded Cross Country Pick 5 with the wager's third Grade 1 in the $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for sophomore fillies in Race 10. A pair of contenders owned by WinStar Stablemates finished 1-2, with Paris Lights pulling ahead of Crystal Ball by a head to earn 100 qualifying points to September's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Paris Lights [$6.00] went off as the 2-1 second choice behind favorite Tonalist's Shape, tracked Crystal Ball in second position and finished strong, potentially setting up a next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama on August 15 at the Spa.
The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, 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 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.
The post All Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $584 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
