Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, showcasing live action from Belmont and Oaklawn Park, returned $9,200.25 for selecting all five winner's for the 50-cent wager. The total was pool was $129,903.
Shaftesbury started the sequence with a strong 2 3/4-length win in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Belmont's Widener turf course in Race 6. The Todd Pletcher trainee, off as the 5-2 favorite, had finished second in three consecutive starts before breaking through, hitting the wire in 1:41.63 under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Shaftesbury, a $675,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale, paid $7.60 on a $2 win wager.
Oaklawn got in on the fun with a six-furlong main track allowance tilt for 4-year-olds and up in Race 5, as Greely and Ben edged Sevier by a neck to earn victory for trainer Karl Broberg. Ridden by David Cohen, Greeley and Ben, who went off at 3-1 and returned $8.40, completed the course in 1:10.48.
Back at Belmont, Looking At Bikinis made his 5-year-old debut a successful one for trainer Chad Brown, rewarding his even-money favoritism to post a one-length score in a seven-furlong allowance optional claimer in Race 7. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano kept Looking At Bikinis, who competed in the 2019 Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and that year's Grade 1 Cigar Mile, forwardly placed in stalking position behind pacesetter American Power before a strong finish and a final time of 1:23.45. He paid $4.20.
At Oaklawn, Firehorn provided the sequence's biggest upset, winning a six-furlong main track sprint at 16-1 odds in Race 6. Firehorn, who returned $34, pulled away in the stretch under rider Fernando De La Cruz to win by a half-length over Sharp Art for trainer Randy Morse. The sprint for 3-year-olds and up saw Firehorn post a final time of 1:11.17.
Belmont ended the wager with the sequence's lone stakes, as Casa Creed won a blanket finish, a head in front of favorite Front Run the Fed in the $100,000 Elusive Quality in Race 8. The seven-furlong sprint was the first turf stakes of Belmont Park's 48-day spring/summer meet, and Joe Bravo piloted Casa Creed to a final time of 1:22.65. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Casa Creed paid $7.60.
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.
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