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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Aqueduct, Turfway Park

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a stakes-laden edition of the Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

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.

Opening the action-packed sequence is the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park [Race 9, 5:10 p.m. Eastern] for 4-year-olds and upward going nine furlongs on the all-weather surface. Juddmonte Farm's Set Piece boasts a perfect record in two starts over the northern Kentucky oval. The Brad Cox-trained son of Dansili won his last Turfway start over Grade 1-placed Signalman in the Prairie Bayou on New Year's Eve. Breaking just to his inside from the rail is dual graded stakes winner Skywire for Hall of Famer Mark Casse. The Gary Barber and Lucio Tucci-owned son of Afleet Alex won last year's Eclipse and Autumn, both Grade 2, on Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack and seeks to rebound after finishing seventh last out in the Prairie Bayou beaten 8 ½ lengths to Set Piece.

The Big A hosts the second leg where a dozen older horses will assemble for the $75,000 Stud Muffin, a 1 3/8-mile starter stakes. Trainer Rob Atras will saddle Michael Dubb's multiple stakes placed Musical Heart, who arrives off a sharp third-place effort to Mr. Buff in the Stymie on February 27. The son of Maclean's Music has finished on the board in his last seven starts. Carded as Race 9 on New York Claiming Championship Day at Aqueduct, the Stud Muffin has a scheduled post time of 5:34 p.m.

Action returns to Turfway for the middle leg where ten sophomore fillies chase Kentucky Oaks points in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks [Race 10, 5:45 p.m.] at a two-turn mile. The 20-8-4-2 Oaks qualifier features Susan Moulton's Oliviaofthedesert, who won the Trapeze at Remington Park two starts back for trainer Kenny McPeek. The gray or roan daughter of Bernardini is the lone horse in the field with a six-figure earning mark with a bankroll of $196,822. Hartwell Farm and SF Racing's Wait for Nairobi will defend her home territory after notching a stakes win in the Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway. The Rey Hernandez-trained Carpe Diem filly boasts a consistent 3-2-0-1 over all-weather surfaces.

The penultimate leg is the $45,000 Dads Caps, a starter stakes for older horses going seven furlongs in Race 9 at 6:10 p.m. at the Big A led by A. Bianco Holding's Skyler's Scramjet, who will look to build off a February 27 triumph over a sloppy track. Trained by A.C. Avila, the 7-year-old Creative Cause gray or roan gelding won the Grade 3 Tom Fool in 2018 and boasts the highest bankroll in the field with over a half-million in lifetime earnings. Also arriving off a win is Irving Rodriguez's Town Jak, who ships from Parx Racing for trainer Alan Bedard. The six-time winner has finished in the money in his last dozen starts, the most recent of which was a half-length victory on March 16 at Parx, where he defeated starter allowance company.

Concluding the stakes-filled Cross Country Pick 5 is the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. The 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier has produced winners of the 'Run for the Roses' in Lil E. Tee [1992] and Animal Kingdom [2011]. This year, the nine-furlong event features Grade 1-winner Gretzky the Great for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber. The bay son of second crop sire Nyquist broke his maiden over the Woodbine Tapeta before taking the Grade 1 Summer over grass at the Toronto oval. Trainer William Morey will saddle New York-bred Hush of a Storm, who seeks back-to-back stakes wins after taking the John Battaglia Memorial on February 26 last out. The Jeff Ruby Steaks is carded as Race 11 on Turfway's program with a 6:25 p.m. post.

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 March 27:
Leg A: Turfway Park – Race 9, Kentucky Cup Classic (5:10 p.m.)
Leg B: Aqueduct – Race 8, Stud Muffin (5:34 p.m.)
Leg C: Turfway Park – Race 10, Bourbonette Oaks (5:45 p.m.)
Leg D: Aqueduct – Race 9, Dads Caps (6:10 p.m.)
Leg E: Turfway Park – Race 11, G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks (6:25 p.m.)

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Hush Of A Storm, Gretzky The Great Headline 100-Point Jeff Ruby Steaks

Joseph P. Morey Trust's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes winner Hush of a Storm, along with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's Grade 1-winning colt Gretzky the Great top a field of 12 3-year-olds that were entered in Saturday afternoon's 50th running of the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) – the premiere stakes event at Turfway Park's meet.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is one of six stakes events on Saturday's 12-race afternoon spectacular at Turfway, which begins at 1:10 p.m. (all times Eastern). The centerpiece 1 1/8-mile race over the synthetic Tapeta surface is carded as Race 11 with a post time of 6:25 p.m. Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks will award the top four finishers points on a 100-40-20-10 scale towards a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

The other stakes races on Saturday's card are the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks (Listed), a Championship Series race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks worth 50-20-10-5 points to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1); $150,000 TwinSpires.com Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed); the $100,000 Rushaway; the $100,000 Latonia Stakes; and the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes.

Hush of a Storm, trained by Bill Morey and ridden by Santiago Gonzalez, was the 1 ½-length winner of the Feb. 26 Battaglia Memorial, the local prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks. The Creative Cause colt had to survive an inquiry and objection in the race after he lugged in and appeared to affect fellow rivals Like the King, Gretzky the Great and Hard Rye Guy in the stretch. Following a review of the race, the stewards issued no change to the order of finish. Hush of a Storm is a perfect 3-for-3 over the Tapeta surface at Turfway. He broke his maiden by 5 ½ lengths on Dec. 19 and followed up that win three weeks later with a half-length first-level allowance score. His only blemish came in a seven-furlong maiden claiming $150,000 race over the dirt at Churchill Downs. Hush of a Storm drew post No. 2.

One of the other top rivals in the Jeff Ruby Steaks is $250,000 Summer (G1) winner Gretzky the Great. Named after the NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, the Nyquist colt was the even-money favorite in the Battaglia Memorial. In that race, he was pressured on the lead for nearly one-mile before giving way to Hush of a Storm. The Mark Casse-trainee will get a jockey change to Chris Landeros for the Jeff Ruby Steaks and will break from post 10.

Another horse likely to garner attention in the race is SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm and Robert Masterson's $200,000 Holy Bull (G3) runner-up Tarantino. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Tarantino began his career on turf at Del Mar in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He finished second in the $101,000 Zuma Beach at Santa Anita prior to his transfer to Brisset. Immediately after he entered Brisset's string in South Florida, he defeated six rivals in a first-level allowance over the turf at Gulfstream Park. His most recent start was a fourth-place finish in the $300,000 Fountain of Youth (GII) where he was defeated 5 ¼ lengths by Greatest Honour. Jockey Florent Geroux will ride from post 7.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Like the King (Drayden Van Dyke, Wesley Ward); Hush of a Storm (Gonzalez, Morey); King's Ovation (Albin Jiminez, Dale Romans); Awesome Gerry (Martin Garcia, Saffie Joseph Jr.); Sainthood (Gerardo Corrales, Todd Pletcher); Smiley Sobotka (Declan Cannon, Romans); Tarantino (Geroux, Brisset); Moonlite Strike (Rafael Hernandez, Joseph); Hard Rye Guy (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes); Gretzy the Great (Landeros, Casse); Dyn O Mite (Deshawn Parker, Keith Desormeaux); and Hockey Dad (Rafael Bejarano, Doug O'Neill).

Hard Rye Guy and Hockey Dad were not nominated to the Triple Crown at the early closing but could become eligible with a $6,000 late payment that is due on Monday.

The National Weather Service forecast for Florence, Ky. calls for a gorgeous afternoon of racing with sunny skies and a high temperature of 71 degrees.

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Turfway Park: Four Horsemen Fined Over Protective Claim

Four horsemen at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. have been fined for their roles in a protective claim scheme involving the 5-year-old gelding Unite The Masses, reports bloodhorse.com. Rules in the state prohibit claiming your own horse, that horse remaining in the same stable or being managed by the owner or trainer from whom it was claimed, and entering into an agreement to “protect” the horse in a claiming race.

Running for trainer Karyn Wittek and owner Brendon Cohen, Unite The Masses dropped in class from running for an $8,000 tag in January to running for $5,000 on Feb. 6 at Turfway, resulting in a 3 1/4 length victory. The 5-year-old gelding was claimed from the February race by Amalio Garcia as both owner and trainer, and returned to win for Garcia under the $8,000 tag on March 4.

However, officials discovered that Unite The Masses had remained in the possession of his original connections after the Feb. 6 claim.

“We had a lot of honest confessions. Everybody was very forthcoming with what had happened,” chief steward Barbara Borden told bloodhorse.com.

Cohen and Wittek have been re-established as the gelding's owner and trainer, respectively, while each was fined $2,000. In addition, Garcia and exercise rider Crystal Carmen (Garcia's fiancé) were fined $1,000 apiece.

Prep Winner Hush Of A Storm Tops 63 Nominees Chasing Derby Points In Turfway’s Jeff Ruby Steaks

Joseph P. Morey Trust's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial winner Hush of a Storm topped a roster of 63 horses that were nominated to the premiere race of Turfway Park's meet, the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (Grade 3).

The Jeff Ruby Steaks, a Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series race, will be one of six stakes events carded on Saturday, March 27 at the Florence, Ky. oval. The 1 1/8-mile event over the new Tapeta synthetic surface will award the Top 4 finishers 100-40-20-10 points for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 1.

New for 2021, the point structure in the Jeff Ruby Steaks and its counterpart for 3-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks, were both boosted from their previously offered 10-4-2-1 points. The Bourbonette Oaks (Listed) offers the Top 4 finishers 50-20-10-5 points toward the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) on April 30.

Other stakes on the afternoon card will be the $150,000 TwinSpires.com Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles; the $100,000 Rushaway for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; the $100,000 Latonia Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile; and the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs. Nominations for all six races cumulatively worth $815,000 closed Saturday and will be available at https://www.turfway.com/horsemen.

“This is the day of racing many of us in the jocks room look forward to,” said jockey Chris Landeros, who ranks second in Turfway Park's jockey standings with 26 wins. “I chose to stay home this winter to ride at Turfway and the meet has been great to us so far. I'm looking forward to ending it with a bang.”

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is likely to be featured by Hush of a Storm, who garnered 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with his victory in the Feb. 26 John Battaglia Memorial. Trained by Bill Morey, Hush of a Storm is scheduled to be joined in the starting gate by the top four finishers of the Battaglia Memorial: M Racing Group's runner-up Like the King; Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's third-place finisher Gretzky the Great; and Bourbon Lane Stable's fourth Hard Rye Guy.

Trainer Mike Maker has six wins in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, including victories in the last two editions with Somelikeithotbrown (2019) and Field Pass (2020), respectively. Maker nominated six horses to this year's Jeff Ruby Steaks including $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Fire At Will.

The Bourbonette Oaks had 57 nominations. Maker won two of the last three runnings of the Bourbonette Oaks with Go Noni Go (2018) and Queen of God (2020). He nominated four fillies to this year's race including Albert Frassetto's $65,000 Cincinnati Trophy runner-up Phantom Vision. In the 6 ½-furlong Cincinnati Trophy, the local prep for the Bourbonette Oaks, she was defeated two lengths to Hartwell Farm and SF Racing's 15-1 upset winner, and fellow Bourbonette Oaks nominee, Wait for Nairobi.

Another featured event on the day is the Kentucky Cup Classic for older horses. The 65 nominees include Crystal Racing Enterprises and Contreras Stable's back-to-back Kentucky Cup Classic winner Nun the Less. Trained by Cipriano Contreras, Nun the Less was on the sidelines since his victory in last year's event but has been training at Turfway Park for a possible three-peat attempt.

Turfway Park's 12-race daytime spectacular will be drawn Wednesday, March 24. Fans can watch and wager on Turfway Park at TwinSpires.com – the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Inc.

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