Cross Country Pick 5 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Racing From Aqueduct, Tampa

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Kicking off the sequence in Race 7 [3:55 p.m.] at Aqueduct, Pristine Racing's Shamrocked will seek to make his first start for trainer Michael Miceli a winning one in a six-furlong $10,000 claiming event. The son of Trappe Shot was previously fifth for a $40,000 tag at the Big A and seeks his first triumph since July 2019. Shamrocked was made the 5-2 morning line favorite by NYRA oddsmaker David Aragona.

Action shifts to Tampa Bay Downs for the following leg, where a field of eight assemble for the $100,000 Pelican going six furlongs. Headlining the accomplished group is consistent sprinter Edgemont Road, who has won four of his last six starts, including a last out allowance victory over the Oldsmar oval. In his lone start against stakes company, the son of Speightstown was third to Sleepy Eyes Todd and next-out Grade 1-winner True Timber in the Lafayette on November 7 at Keeneland. Trainer Terri Pompay sends out graded stakes winner Cool Arrow, who seeks his first victory since winning the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on September 5 at Gulfstream Park two starts back. Carded as Race 9, the Pelican has a scheduled post time of 4:19 p.m.

Aqueduct hosts the middle leg [Race 8, 4:25 p.m.], which is a six-furlong allowance optional claiming tilt featuring graded stakes winner Happy Farm for trainer Linda Rice. The veteran son of Ghostzapper will spin back off a week's rest after winning on February 6 going six furlongs. LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stables' Secret Rules has never finished off the board in seven lifetime starts and will attempt to keep his consistent record intact for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

For the penultimate leg, a field of 10 fillies and mares, plus four also-eligible entrants, will go into line racing for a $16,000 tag over the Tampa Bay Downs turf in pursuit of their first career win. Breaking from the rail is owner-trainer Michael Laurato's C'Est Parti, who has shown improvement in her last pair of starts finishing a respective second and third for the same conditions and over the same course as Saturday's event. Carded as the finale of Tampa Bay Downs' 10-race program, the second to last leg will go off at 4:32 p.m.

The curtain closes on the sequence in the final race on Aqueduct's Saturday card [Race 9, 4:55 p.m.], where New York-breds seek a first career triumph for a $25,000 tag going six furlongs. The 7-2 morning line favorite for the event is Lord Camden for trainer Chris Englehart, who saw his best finish in eight lifetime starts last out when finishing second as the post time favorite on January 22 at Aqueduct.

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, February 13:
Leg A: Aqueduct-Race 7 (3:55 p.m.)
Leg B: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 9 $100K Pelican (4:19 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct-Race 8 (4:25 p.m.)
Leg D: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 10 (4:32 p.m.)
Leg E: Aqueduct -Race 9 (4:55 p.m.)

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 From Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs Pays $872.50

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, featuring stakes action from New York's Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, paid $872.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The sequence's total pool was $123,055.

Aqueduct started the wager when Dublinornothin upset favorite Mabel Island in a seven-furlong allowance race for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up. The Eduardo Jones trainee rallied from fourth in the stretch under jockey Andre Worrie to post a half-length victory. Dublinornothin returned $19 on a $2 win wager.

Curlin's Catch started the sequence's stakes portion with a 4 1/2-length score in the Suncoast for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and 40 yards on the Tampa Bay main track. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Curlin's Catch sat off the pace before drawing away under Antonio Gallardo as the favorite. She paid $5.60.

Aqueduct hosted a Kentucky Derby prep race with the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers in Race 8, which Risk Taking won by 3 3/4 lengths. Risk Taking, trained by Chad Brown, was expertly ridden by Eric Cancel, who earned his third career graded stakes win as his charge picked up 10 qualifying points for the “Run for the Roses.” The favorite returned $5.80.

Just minutes later, Brown added another stakes win with a favorite owned by Klaravich Stables, as Counterparty Risk outkicked New York Girl by one length to win the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa Bay. Piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Counterparty Risk won the 1 1/16-mile turf contest for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up, paying $3.80.

Tampa Bay concluded the sequence with Candy Man Rocket winning the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis for sophomores going 1 1/16 miles on the main track in a race that, like the Withers, awarded 10-4-2-1 Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's Candy Man Rocket defeated Nova Rags by one length under jockey Junior Alvarado. The 3-1 selection returned $8.20.

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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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Pair Of Derby Preps, Free PPs

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring Kentucky Derby qualifiers from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs.

Saturday's sequence kicks off with a field of eight New York-bred fillies and mares going seven furlongs in a first level allowance event. Trainer Carlos Soto sends last out winner Mabel Island from Parx Racing in pursuit of victory after defeating four others in a starter allowance at Parx by 7 ¼ lengths. Also attempting a second straight win is Fair Lassie, who won for a $25,000 tag on January 31 at the Big A for trainer Karl Broberg. Carded as Race 7 on the nine-race program, the first leg of the Cross Country Pick 5 has a post time of 3:55 p.m.

Action shifts to Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Florida for the $150,000 Suncoast for sophomore fillies going a mile and 40 yards over the main track. The race is a 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifier, and features previous Tampa stakes winners in J D Farms' Special Princess, who dead-heated for victory in the last out Gasparilla for trainer Walter Woodard, as well as Feeling Mischief from the barn of Michael Campbell, who took the Sandpiper on December 5. The Suncoast is scheduled as Race 9 with a 4:22 p.m. post time.

Aqueduct takes the reins for the middle race in the sequence when a field of nine 3-year-old colts pursue Kentucky Derby points in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers going nine furlongs. The second local prep on the calendar year for the 'Run for the Roses' features two maiden special weight winners for trainer Todd Pletcher including royally-bred Overtook, a product of multiple champion-producing sire Curlin and Grade 1-winner Got Lucky.

Owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, Overtook came from 10 lengths off the pace in his last out maiden victory going a one-turn mile at the Big A. Donegal Bay ships from South Florida after a gate-to-wire maiden score also at a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park. Scheduled as Race 8, the Withers will go off at 4:25 p.m.

The final two legs of the sequence will be hosted by Tampa Bay Downs. In the penultimate leg, eight fillies and mares travel the 1 1/16-mile distance in the Grade 3, $175,000 Endeavour [Race 10; 4:32 p.m.] on the turf. Never short on talent in the turf category, trainer Chad Brown will send Klaravich Stables' Counterparty Risk off a close second in her stakes debut, which took place in the December 26 Lady Shamrock at Santa Anita. R Unicorn Stable's New York Girl will seek to go 2-for-2 in North America for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after a New Year's Eve allowance score over the turf at Gulfstream Park.

The Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis (Race 11; 5:02 p.m.) closes the curtain on the sequence when a field of 12 sophomore colts, plus one also eligible entrant, go into line in pursuit of Derby qualifying points. The 1 1/16-mile event awards points to the top-four finishers according to a 10-4-2-1 scale and features graded stakes-placed Known Agenda.

The Pletcher-trained St. Elias Stables homebred was third in the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct last out after breaking his maiden going nine furlongs at the Big A. Pletcher also sends out Donegal Racing's Millean, who broke his maiden going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park last out. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be represented by stakes winner Nova Rags, who arrives off a score in the seven-furlong Pasco at Tampa Bay Downs, as well as highly impressive maiden winner Candy Man Rocket. Trainer Dale Romans will send out Smiley Sobotka after a close runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs in November.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is 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, February 6:
Leg A: Aqueduct-Race 7 (3:55 p.m.)
Leg B: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 9 $150K Suncoast (4:02 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct-Race 8 G3 $250K Withers (4:25 p.m.)
Leg D: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 10 G3 $175K Endeavour (4:32 p.m.)
Leg E: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 11 G3 $250K Sam F. Davis (5:02 p.m.)

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Between The Hedges: Inside The Cross Country Pick 5

The Cross-Country Pick 5 wagers were conceived with the idea of collaborating with other tracks to showcase the best races that the industry has to offer.

The wager also serves as an opportunity to shine the spotlight on events the larger racing public may not be aware of, like the Far Hills Races, which offers a stakes-laden card each fall highlighted by the Grade 1 Grand National Hurdle. The success of the Cross Country Pick 5 wager is not necessarily measured by pool size as much as it is by increased exposure for our partners and the good of our industry as a whole.

The Cross Country concept really picked up speed during 2018 with Cross Country Pick 4s running from February through late October. During 2018 there were 11 wagers averaging $96,852 per pool. Heading into 2019, it was clear the trend in Pick Ns [multi-race sequences] were shifting towards the Pick 5, so the decision was made to shift the Cross Country wager from a Pick 4 to a Pick 5, as well as keeping the pool retail.

Most customers were in favor of the lower takeout [15 percent] and the bigger payouts allotted by the shift to a Cross Country Pick 5 format. A total of 36 Cross Country Pick 5 pools were hosted in 2019 averaging $94,215 per pool with the largest pool boasting $250,764, when partnering with Keeneland Race Course on April 6th for an all-graded sequence anchored by a trio of Grade 1 races, including the Carter Handicap from Aqueduct and the Madison and Ashland from Keeneland. The smallest Cross Country Pick 5 pool was $17,637 held on Kentucky Derby Day in partnership with Oaklawn and Woodbine.

The Pick 5 pool continued in 2020 with the only real change being a commitment to hosting one every Saturday for the sake of consistency. Much like post times [a topic for later] and race day schedule, it is critical to the wager's success that our customers know there will be a Cross Country Pick 5 offered each and every Saturday.

In 2020, the Cross Country Pick 5 wager extended into November for the first time and was offered on each race day that month when racing from both Aqueduct and Churchill Downs was offered with the full sequence being televised on the NYRA produced America's Day at the Races broadcast.

The average pool size jumped to $124,853 over 39 pools in 2020. The largest pool of $318,478 was on June 27th in partnership with Churchill Downs and Thistledown that featured an all graded-stakes sequence which included the Grade 1 Just a Game and Grade 2 True North from Belmont along with the Grade 2 Stephen Foster and Grade 3 Regret from Churchill and the Grade 3 Ohio Derby from Thistledown.

The smallest pool was $43,843 on the rescheduled Kentucky Derby Day of September 5th, in a pool partnering with Monmouth Park, Woodbine, and Delaware Park. Not surprisingly, the two smallest pools over the past two years were on Kentucky Derby Day.

Tracks participating in the Cross Country Pick 5 in 2020 included Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Del Mar, Ellis Park, Keeneland, Monmouth Park, Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Thistledown, Turfway Park, and Woodbine Racetrack. In 2019, the Cross Country Pick 5 also partnered with Charlestown, Far Hills, Finger Lakes, Lone Star Park, Parx Racing, and Penn National.

Free past performances were offered in 2020 for all broadcasted races in addition to all Cross-Country Pick 5 wagers through a partnership with Equibase. That partnership has been extended for 2021. Past performance downloads reached 11,500 per week during the peak of the racing season and certainly contributed to the 31 percent increase in daily average pool.

When constructing the wager, the first step in creation of the sequence is a review of the NYRA stakes schedule, as well as the nationwide stakes schedule. With the potential stakes races selected, I reach out to the individual tracks to see if they would be interested in participating. I work with the racing offices at each partnering track on race placement as well as post times with the ideal sequence taking under an hour from start to finish, which helps put money back into circulation and generate churn. Races are chosen based on their competitiveness, field size, surface, and race order. I try to add variety along the way with all turf sequences, five tracks, all graded stakes, and occasionally some standardbred or steeplechase races.

A lot of our customers ask why certain tracks do not participate, and the reasons vary. Some states have restrictions that in order for them to participate, they must host the pool. Other tracks, on certain days, offer pool guarantees that could be in jeopardy if their marquee races are involved in other wagers.

The Cross Country Pick 5 wager has been lucrative both due to competitive racing in a stakes-rich sequence and the fact that it is a retail-only pool. Cross Country Pick 5 payouts in 2020 ranged from $57 up to $88,940, with an average of $9,233. In 2019, the highest payout was $43,159, while the lowest return was $160, with an average payout of $8,110. The wager almost always outperformed the parlay.

For more information on the Cross Country Pick 5, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

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