Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $6,000 Saturday

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, featuring action from Saratoga, Woodbine, and Monmouth Park, paid $6,061.25 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The total pool was $106,967.

Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, commenced the sequence with graded stakes action, as Jolie Olimpica won the $175,000 Grade 2 Nassau for older fillies and mares going one mile on the turf in Race 6. Trained by Josie Carroll and ridden by Luis Contreras, the Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica's three-quarters of a length victory in a final time of 1:34.83 paid $5.30 on $2 win wager.

The first of three races at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., came in the second leg, as Luis Saez piloted 10-1 Midnight Worker to a victory by a head over Bourbon Heist in a six-furlong maiden sprint over the main track in Race 6. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Midnight Worker paid $22.20 in hitting the wire in 1:11.92.

Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., also got in on the stakes action, with He'spuregold besting slight favorite Quiberon Bay by one length in the $85,000 Irish War Cry for New Jersey-breds 3-years-old and up going one mile on the turf in Race 9. The Kelly Breen trainee, who posted a final time of 1:35.53, returned $5.40.

Saratoga concluded the last two legs, starting when Sifting Sands topped Never Explain by a head in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming tilt on the turf in Race 7. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Manny Franco, the British-bred Sifting Sands won at 28-1, paying $58.

A Brown-trained horse completed the Cross Country Pick 5 when the Irish-bred Rastafara won a one-mile inner turf contest for maidens 3-years-old and up going one mile on the inner turf in Race 8. Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Rastafara paid $7.10 in notching a final time of 1:36.47.

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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He’spuregold Follows Up Maiden Win With Victory In Irish War Cry At Monmouth

Owner and breeder John Bowers was so confident in the turf breeding of He'spuregold that he specifically targeted a summer stakes race for trainer Kelly Breen to point to with then-3-year-old maiden gelding this spring.

That race was Saturday's $85,000 Irish War Cry Handicap and Bowers' faith was rewarded in a big way as He'spuregold skimmed the rail coming out of the final turn and went on to a one-length victory in the feature at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., just one race after breaking his maiden.

A half-brother to 2019 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year Valedictorian, He'spuregold is a son of Australian sire Vancouver out of Smart N Classy. He paid $5.40 to win in the field of eight New Jersey-breds, 3 years old and up, covering the mile over a firm turf course in 1:35.53.

“This was on Mr. Bowers' plan when he gave me the horse to run at Monmouth this spring,” said Breen. “We talked about this race on Jan. 1. He had this circled on his calendar. He asked me if I could get him to this race.”

The optimism on Bowers' part was steeped simply in the turf breeding, since He'spuregold took seven tries to break his maiden. Given to Breen from Michelle Nehi three races ago, He'spuregold now has two wins and a second over that span.

Ridden by Nik Juarez, He'spuregold was kept off the early pace of Optic Way, who was hounded by Quiberon Bay, through fractions of :24.46, :47.77 and 1:10.75 for three-quarters of a mile.

As Quiberon Bay engaged Optic Way in the stretch, Juarez sent He'spuregold through an opening on the rail. Quiberon Bay finished second, a head better than Optic Way.

“The trip was perfect,” said Juarez. “I thought I was sitting a perfect spot off the speed. We were going honest fractions and knowing that I knew I was in a perfect spot if the rail opened and I had the horse. It opened and I had enough horse to get through and he dug in really gamely.”

Said Breen: “He rode him great, the rail opened up, it all worked out.”

He'spuregold, owned by Bowers' Roseland Farm Stable, now shows a 2-2-3 line from eight career starts, all on the turf.

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