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Cross Country Pick 5 Features Action From Belmont, Churchill, Parx

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring action from Belmont Park, Churchill Downs and Parx.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5 kicks off with the Grade 2 Gallant Bob [Race 10, 4:22 p.m. Eastern], the first of a trio of graded events from Parx in the sequence. Multiple Grade 1-winner Jackie's Warrior, last-out winner of the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, is listed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the six-furlong sprint for sophomores. Track specialist Beren, a four-time winner at Parx, will look to spring the upset for trainer Butch Reid, Jr.

In the second leg, Stonestreet Stables' homebred Clairiere will look to secure a first Grade 1 win when exiting post 6 under Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the $1 million Cotillion [Race 11, 5:01 p.m.], a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies. The Curlin bay, trained by Asmussen, enters from a runner-up effort to Kentucky Oaks-winner Malathaat in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Alabama at the Spa.

Maracuja will be reunited with Kendrick Carmouche, who guided the Honor Code gray to a third-out maiden win in February at Aqueduct. The Rob Atras trainee captured the Grade 1 CCA Oaks in July with Santana, Jr. up in place of the injured Carmouche and enters from an off-the-board effort in the Alabama. Always Carina, runner-up in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Mother Goose two starts back at Belmont, stretches out from a fourth-place finish in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Longines Test in August at the Spa for trainer Chad Brown.

Action switches to Churchill Downs for the middle leg of the sequence as a field of 10 sophomores sprint seven furlongs in the Harrods Creek [Race 10, 5:26 p.m.] led by Clearview Stable's stakes-placed Irish Unity. Trained by Asmussen, the Pioneerof the Nile gelding is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning Dixie Union mare Justwhistledixie making him a half-sibling to graded-stakes winners Enforceable, Kingly, Mohaymen and New Year's Day. Multiple stakes-placed Dreamer's Disease and speedy shipper Emerald Forest are among a number of contenders in a wide-open affair.

Hot Rod Charlie, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the penultimate leg – the nine-furlong Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby [Race 12, 5:49 p.m.] at Parx. Trained by Doug O'Neill, the Oxbow colt was a game third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs and last out crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park but was disqualified and placed seventh after drifting in front of Midnight Bourbon, who clipped heels and fell.

Midnight Bourbon exited the Haskell to finish second in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers last out and will provide steep opposition under returning pilot Santana, Jr. Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner, a bay son of Street Sense trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, steps into stakes company for the first time off a sharp allowance score against older company in August at the Spa. Graded-stakes winners Fulsome, Weyburn, Keepmeinmind, and Bourbonic add depth to a loaded field.

The sequence concludes with the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia [Race 10, 5:58 p.m.], a nine-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out Group 3-winner Pocket Square and stakes-placed Miss Teheran in a compact field of five that includes the well-related Lake Lucerne, a bay daughter of Dubawi out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Awesome Again mare Round Pond.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available 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.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, September 25:
Leg A: Parx-Race 10 Grade 2 Gallant Bob (4:44 p.m.)
Leg B: Parx-Race 11 Grade 1 Cotillion (5:02 p.m.)
Leg C: Churchill -Race 10 Harrods Creek (5:26 p.m.)
Leg D: Parx-Race 12 Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby (5:49 p.m.)
Leg E: Belmont-Race 10 Grade 3 Athenia (5:58 p.m.)

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Brown To Saddle Pocket Square, Miss Teheran In Saturday’s Athenia Stakes

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Pocket Square and Miss Teheran in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia, a nine-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park.

Brown has won four of the last five runnings of the Athenia and has totaled five wins overall, including scores by Pianist [2013], Roca Rojo [2016], Off Limits [2017], Rymska [2018] and Tapit Today [2020].

Juddmonte homebred Pocket Square, a 4-year-old Night of Thunder chestnut, enters from a 4 1/2-length optional-claiming win traveling nine furlongs on the Saratoga Race Course turf on Aug. 25.

A Group 3-winner as a juvenile in France for trainer Roger Charlton, Pocket Square posted a debut win for Brown in a 1 1/16-mile Keeneland allowance tilt in April. She followed with back-to-back fifth-place finishes in Grade 1 company in the one-mile Longines Just a Game in June at Belmont and the nine-furlong Diana in August at Saratoga.

“We had very high hopes for her coming out of the allowance win at Keeneland and we tried her in some ambitious spots. She has always trained well,” said Brown's Belmont-based assistant Dan Stupp. “She came back into form at Saratoga and hopefully that gave her confidence. She's made a good appearance at Belmont this fall.”

Doubledown Stables' Miss Teheran, a 5-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Teofilo, captured a one-mile optional-claimer on the Saratoga turf on August 1 and rallied to finish second last out in the 1 1/16-mile Miss Liberty on August 28 at Monmouth Park. The late-running chestnut boasts a record of 13-4-4-1 with purse earnings of $199,372.

“She had a little bit of a trip and came with a nice late kick, but didn't quite get the job done. She gave a good account of herself and we were pleased with her effort,” Stupp said of the Miss Liberty try. “Obviously, we would have liked to have won but she showed up off her allowance win at Saratoga and gave another good effort.”

Miss Teheran has breezed back twice at Belmont since the Miss Liberty, including a half-mile effort in 50.05 Saturday on the Belmont main track.

“She's had a couple maintenance works and seems to be doing well,” Stupp said. “She's a very honest filly and tries every time. She's a one-run late filly – save a little ground, get a little cover and then get out and make her run.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call aboard Pocket Square from post 4, while Manny Franco will guide Miss Teheran from post 2.

Godolphin homebred Lake Lucerne, a 4-year-old Dubawi bay, enters from a narrow nose score in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming event on September 1 at the Spa.

Out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Awesome Again mare Round Pond, Lake Lucerne launched her career in England with trainer John Gosden which included a maiden score in March 2020 at Chelmsford.

Transferred to the care of trainer Brendan Walsh, Lake Lucerne rallied to finish fourth in her North American debut in February at Gulfstream Park and followed with a 3 1/4-length allowance score in May traveling 1 1/16-miles on the Churchill Downs turf.

Jose Lezcano has the call from the inside post.

Rounding out the field are Group 2-placed Made In Italy [post 3, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Graham Motion and two-time winner Stand for the Flag [post 5, Dylan Davis] for conditioner Rob Atras. Spice Is Nice is entered for the main-track only.

The Athenia is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's 11-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap, a one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up slated for Race 4. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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‘Enthusiastic’ Life Is Good To Use Kelso As Prep For Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's dual graded stakes winning sophomore Life Is Good will attempt to make his second start off a layoff a winning one when taking on older horses for the first time in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso for 3-year-olds and upward going a one-turn mile at Belmont Park.

Life Is Good, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, arrives at the Kelso off a sharp runner-up effort to Jackie's Warrior in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Aug. 28 at Saratoga Race Course. The son of leading sire Into Mischief posted swift fractions in the seven-furlong event before engaging in a dramatic stretch duel with Jackie's Warrior, which saw Life Is Good miss by a neck.

Life Is Good entered the H. Allen Jerkens off a six-month layoff from wins at Santa Anita Park over eventual Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit in both the Grade 3 Sham on Jan. 2 and the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 6 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Life Is Good breezed a half-mile in 48.46 on the Belmont dirt training track on Sept. 22.

“He ran a giant race off the layoff and has trained well since then,” said Pletcher, whose previous Kelso coups came with Uncle Mo [2011], Graydar [2013] and Anchor Down [2016]. “He's an enthusiastic horse to train. In both works he was well in hand, especially in his last breeze. He kind of fools you watching him. He doesn't look like he's going that fast, but then he gallops out in 1:25 and change.”

Pletcher credited his team as well as the crew at WinStar Farm for an excellent job preparing Life Is Good for his Saratoga return.

“Everyone did a great job bringing him back,” Pletcher said. “He did a lot of training at Keeneland and trained extremely well at Saratoga. He's just a very talented horse so I was not surprised he had run so well off the bench. It was an ambitious goal to run in a Grade 1, but he's a very talented horse and ran terrific. He came out of it well and has continued to train great.”

Pletcher said a solid effort from Life Is Good on Saturday would likely result in a trip to Del Mar for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 6.

“Right now we're thinking about the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Obviously, we need to run here and assess how he does, but that's what we're thinking at the moment,” Pletcher said. “He certainly trains like a horse that's capable of running further and hopefully that's the case down the road.”

Life Is Good brags a record of 4-3-1-0 and field-best earnings of $374,200.
Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West Stable, Life Is Good is out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who piloted Vyjack to victory in the 2014 Kelso, will climb aboard Life Is Good for the first time from post 2.

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It arrives off a third-place finish to talented sprinters Yaupon and Firenze Fire in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Forego on August 28 at Saratoga.

The Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained son of Currency Swap made his first start outside his native Florida in the Forego, where he rated a close third to the inside of the top two finishers, dropped to fifth around the far turn, but re-established position to complete the trifecta.

Chance It, who boasts a consistent 10-4-4-1 record, was a close second in his previous two starts this season and will be in pursuit of his first victory since capturing the Mucho Macho Man in January 2020 at Gulfstream Park.

Manny Franco has the call from post 3.

Trin-Brook Stables' Informative will attempt another graded stakes upset for trainer Uriah St. Lewis. The 4-year-old son of Bodemeister lit up the Monmouth Park tote board when capturing the Grade 3 Salvator Mile on June 12, where he went off at 79-1 odds.

Informative, who boasts two wins in five starts at the Kelso distance, will go back to one mile following unplaced efforts in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban in July at Belmont Park and the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on August 27.

Eric Cancel will have the call from post 4.

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Flying P Stable will look to add to their string of recent upset stakes wins on the NYRA circuit when sending out last-out winner Fort Peck for trainer Robertino Diodoro. Flying P Stable's Locally Owned posted an 18-1 upset over the Diodoro-trained Lone Rock [co-owned by Flying P Stable] in Saturday's Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational at Belmont and Fort Peck will look to continue the trend this weekend.

A 6-year-old son of Fort Larned, Fort Peck was triumphant in his debut for Diodoro when scoring for a $50,000 tag on August 7 at Saratoga.

Ramon Vazquez will ride from post 1.

Completing the field is Three Diamonds Farm's Doubly Blessed, who will try to make amends following a distant seventh in the Forego. The son of Empire Maker will make his third start over Big Sandy following a close second to Locally Owned in an April optional claiming tilt at 1 1/16-miles, followed by a victory at the same distance in May.

Hall of Famer and four-time Kelso winning jockey Javier Castellano will ride from post 5 for trainer Mike Maker.

The Kelso is slated as Race 4 on Saturday's 11-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia for fillies and mares going nine furlongs over the inner turf in Race 10. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

The Kelso honors the legendary five-time Horse of the Year [1960-64] who triumphed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in each of those years. Campaigned by Allaire du Pont's Bohemia Stable and trained by Carl Hanford, Kelso's illustrious career saw the gifted dark bay defeat more champion horses than any other thoroughbred, including Jaipur, Carry Back, Roman Brother and Bald Eagle. Kelso, who was ranked No. 4 on the Top 100 Greatest North American Thoroughbreds of the 20th Century, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.

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Thursday’s Pick 6 At Belmont Bolstered By $74,372 Carryover

The Pick 6 on Thursday will be bolstered by a $74,372 carryover as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Sunday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The $1 Pick 6 returned $3,344 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.

Sunday's sequence kicked off in Race 5 with the Antonio Arriaga-trained Quantitativbreezin [No. 9, $6.70] prevailing in a 6 1/2-furlong claiming sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on the main track. Jose Ortiz engineered the winning trip.

Geno [No. 3, $21.80] graduated in a six-furlong Widener turf sprint for state-bred juveniles in Race 6 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez for trainer David Donk; and the Rudy Rodriguez-conditioned Scuttlebuzz [No. 11, $6.60] prevailed under Jose Lezcano in Race 7, a six-furlong optional-claimer on the inner turf for state-breds 3-years-old and up.

Fight On Lucy [No. 3, $32.80], trained by Pat Kelly, rallied to victory in Race 8 under Benjamin Hernandez in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint for state-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, but the biggest price in the sequence came in the featured $150,000 Pebbles when Spanish Loveaffair [No. 11, $63] scored in the one-mile Widener turf test for sophomore fillies under Junior Alvarado for Hall of Famer Mark Casse.

With the Pick 6 carryover already guaranteed, Tallis [No. 12, $7.50] outdueled My Boy Colton [No. 6] to win the Race 10 finale – a 1 1/16-mile maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up on the inner turf. Velazquez rode the winner for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

Thursday's Pick 6 kicks off in Race 4 at 3:39 p.m. Eastern. First post on the nine-race card is 2:05 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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