Horseplayers scored in the Cross Country Pick 5.
The Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring racing from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, tallied a total pool of $87,895.50, paying out $1,437 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager.
Whispering Pines started the wager by overtaking Midtown Rose in the stretch and pulling away for a 3 1/4-length victory under jockey Jose Ortiz to win the seven-furlong allowance sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up in Race 7 at Belmont. Trained by Horacio DePaz, Whispering Pines, off at 9-2, returned $11.80 on a $2 win wager.
Woodbine got into the action when Linda Loves Lace, an 11-1 selection, went gate-to-wire for a 1 1/4-length win over Elite Princess in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint over the all-weather track in Race 7. Trained by John Staples and ridden by Steven Bahen, Linda Loves Lace paid $25.90.
The sequence’s biggest surprise came in the lone stakes race, when 79-1 Informative bested favorite and last year’s Grade 1 Haskell runner-up Ny Traffic by one length to win the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in Monmouth Park’s Race 10. Informative, piloted by Jose Ferrer for trainer Uriah St. Lewis, was a $161.60 winner for topping the 10-horse field of 3-year-olds and up.
Conversely, the fourth leg saw the only favorite to win in the sequence, when Speightstown Shirl defeated Confident by three-quarters of a length to win the one-mile turf maiden event for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up in Woodbine’s Race 8. Conditioned by Roger Attfield and ridden by Rafael Hernandez, Speightstown paid $3.70.
Closing the sequence was Fifty Sheas Ofgrey, who returned $25.40 after holding off He’spuregold by a head in the 1 1/16-mile turf maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up in Monmouth’s Race 11. The Carlos David trainee, ridden by Hector Diaz, Jr., topped the 10-horse field.
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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