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All-Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Featuring Whitney, Hambletonian Pays $699.25

An all-stakes cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday paid $699.25 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The total pool was $60,003. The wager, which featured thoroughbred racing from historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., also encompassed two prestigious harness races from the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

Thoroughbreds started the action when State of Rest won the $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational to capture the second leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds in Race 9 at the Spa. The Irish-bred State of Rest, trained by Joseph O'Brien and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, topped Solider Rising by one length in the 1 3/16-mile contest on the Mellon turf course in a final time of 1:53.35. Off at 21-1, State of Rest returned $44.20 on a $2 win wager.

Monmouth Park, located in Oceanport, New Jersey, hosted the $100,000 Tyro for juveniles going five furlongs on the turf in Race 12. Her World, an Irish bred trained by Wesley Ward, romped by six lengths as the even-money favorite, paying $3.80. Under jockey Paco Lopez, Her World completed the course in :56.62 seconds.

A unique wrinkle to the Cross County Pick 5 came in the third leg when standardbreds took center stage with the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks in Race 14 at the Meadowlands. The prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies saw heavy favorite Bella Bellini win in rein to driver Dexter Dunn. The R. Nifty Norman trainee paid $3 to win in capturing the race for trotters.

Saratoga's feature, the 94th running of the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney in Race 10, saw Knicks Go surge to the front and go wire-to-wire to best the five-horse field under jockey Joel Rosario, who notched his second career Whitney victory. Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go won by 4 1/2 lengths as the favorite, paying $4.10, and hit the wire in the 1 1/8-mile contest in 1:47.70.

Standardbreds closed out the sequence when another favorite – Captain Corey – won the 96th running of the $1 million Hambletonian for 3-year-olds in Race 15 at the Meadowlands. Trainer and driver Ake Svanstedt led Captain Corey [$4.60] to victory in the one-mile stakes for trotters.

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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By My Standards Exits Whitney In Good Order, May Target Gold Cup Next

Trainer Bret Calhoun said he experienced “the highs and lows of racing in a matter of ten minutes” after seeing Mr. Wireless capture a second graded stakes triumph in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Racetrack in New Cumberland, W. Va., before saddling By My Standards to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Second in last year's Whitney to Improbable, Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards stumbled and lost a front left shoe a few strides leaving the gate. Unable to catch pacesetter and winner Knicks Go, By My Standards trailed throughout finishing 15 ½ lengths off the winner.

Calhoun said By My Standards, a 5-year-old son of Goldencents, emerged from the race in good order.

“For what he went through, he came back pretty well, better than expected,” Calhoun said. “He stumbled twice and wasn't going to do too well without a shoe. The foot is a little sore and we got lucky it didn't tear anything up. He's just a little bruised up is all.”

A four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire, By My Standards arrived at the Whitney off a runner-up effort despite a troubled trip in the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

Calhoun said By My Standards could target the $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 4 at Saratoga.

“The Whitney was a race we had dialed in for quite some time,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, you don't know what to take from that race other than just drawing a line through it. We'll figure out where we go. I wouldn't think the Jockey Club is impossible. Knicks Go ran them off their feet, went fast early, and he kept on running. He just ran that race he ran in the Breeders' Cup.”

Mr. Wireless notched a second graded stakes triumph in the West Virginia Derby after winning the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 7 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind.

Calhoun said the JIL Stable-owned son of Dialed In could return in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 25 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

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Maxfield Gets 105 Beyer Speed Figure For Second Place Finish In Whitney

Godolphin homebred Maxfield matched a career-best 105 Beyer for his runner-up effort in Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

With Jose Ortiz up for trainer Brendan Walsh in the nine-furlong test, Maxfield stalked from fourth position before making a late move to complete the exacta 4 1/2-lengths back of the Brad Cox-trained winner Knicks Go.

“He ran great and we're very proud of him as always. He put in a good effort,” Walsh said. “He beat some nice horses and got beat by a very good horse. It happens.

“Brad's horse is a very good horse and when he gets alone on the lead, he's very tough to beat,” Walsh added. “He ran well and it's a little more experience for him.”

The 4-year-old Street Sense colt boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 9-7-1-1 with purse earnings in excess of $1.4 million. He entered the Whitney off consecutive Grade 2 scores at Churchill Downs in the Alysheba in April and the Stephen Foster in June.

“We'll leave him here for a while and see how he comes out of it and come up with a plan,” Walsh said.

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Bella Sofia Closes Strong In Test, Earns 101 Beyer Speed Figure

Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, and Matthew Mercurio's Bella Sofia ensured her graded stakes debut was a memorable one when she drew away for a 4 1/4-length score in Saturday's $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez entered the daughter of Awesome Patriot in the prestigious race on Whitney Day following a 6 1/2-length victory against allowance company going six furlongs in July at Belmont. Stretched out on Saturday, Bella Sofia tracked Illumination's early fractions before closing strong under jockey Luis Saez, resulting in a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure after improving to 3-1-0 in four starts.

“The thing that impressed me was that she let Luis do whatever he wanted to do,” Rodriguez said. “The way she broke, I thought she was going to go to the lead. But Luis let the horse go in front of her, and to see her relax and be very kind, that was impressive. When Luis asked her, she was there.”

Bella Sofia was unraced as a juvenile but showed her potential in an impressive debut in which she topped a six-horse field by 11 1/4 lengths going six furlongs on Belmont's Big Sandy on May 6.

Graduating to stakes company next out in the six-furlong Jersey Girl the day after the Belmont Stakes on June 6, Bella Sofia ran a competitive second, one length behind winner Australasia, before registering that blowout win last month.

Rodriguez said Bella Sofia, who was bred in Kentucky by Two Tone Farms, was worth the wait as she has never registered a speed figure below 90.

“Everything was happy and quiet with her today,” Rodriguez said. “She looks a little tired, but she's all good.

“Sometimes, you need to wait,” he added. “She had some little issues and bumps in the road when was she a baby, but she's behind all that now. She looks very happy right now.”

Purchased for $20,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' 2-Year-Old Sale, Bella Sofia has already amassed earnings of $405,100. Rodriguez said he has not picked out her next target yet.

The victory marked the first graded stakes win for Rodriguez in four years, with the previous occurrence also taking place at Saratoga when Lady Ivanka captured the 2017 Grade 1 Spinaway. In total, Rodriguez has tallied seven Grade 1 wins, with four of those coming in 2014.

Rodriguez will have an opportunity for additional graded stakes success as Doctor Jeff remains likely to go in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite. The 6 1/2-furlong main track sprint for 2-year-olds will mark Doctor Jeff's second career start following a 2 1/4-length debut win on July 10 at Belmont in a race that was moved off the turf.

The Street Boss colt, a $90,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, posted a bullet five-furlong breeze Sunday over the Saratoga main track, clocked in :59.61 seconds as the fastest in a group of 22. It was his third consecutive work at the track since shipping from Belmont in July.

Jockey Joel Rosario, aboard for that debut win, was aboard for the work and will have the return call next week.

“He breezed great this morning and we're very happy with the way he's been training over here,” Rodriguez said. “We're still looking at the Special. We're just living the dream right now.”

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