New NYRA Pick 5 features juvenile Breeders’ Cup qualifiers

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NYRA / Coglianese Photo

The New York Racing Association will host a new future stars Pick 5 wager Saturday, featuring five Breeders’ Cup win-and-you’re-in qualifying races for juveniles at Belmont at the Big A, Keeneland and Santa Anita Park.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is $1, with a takeout rate of 15 percent. Wagering on the future stars Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country.

The sequence kicks off at 3:17 p.m. EDT in race 7 at Belmont at the Big A with the one-mile Grade 1 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies.

The Frizette, which awards a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, features graded-stakes winner The Queens M G for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., undefeated stakes winner Social Fortress for trainer Jamie Ness and last-out Pocahontas (G3) third-place finisher Icona Mama for conditioner Flint Stites.

The action continues in the second leg at the Big A as four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown saddles the formidable Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick with a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on the line in the seven-furlong Champagne (G1). The son of McKinzie is undefeated in two starts, led by a last-out score in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga with a deep-closing rally.

The New York-bred Mo Plex also looks to remain undefeated after going 3-for-3 this summer at the Spa, including a win in the Sanford (G3) for conditioner Jeremiah Englehart. Additionally, the field includes impressive debut winners Tip Top Thomas and Uncaged for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, and Grade 2-placed Smoken Wicked for conditioner Dallas Stewart.

The middle leg features the first of two graded stakes from Santa Anita in the sequence as eight fillies vie for a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in the 1 1/16-mile Oak Leaf (G2).

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert saddles four talented fillies in undefeated Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner Tenma, Grade 3 winner Nooni, and impressive maiden winners Showers and Non Compliant. The quartet is challenged by stakes winner In the Air Tonight, maiden winner Jack’s Magic Girl, and the maidens Om N Joy and Rio Del Sol.

The penultimate leg will see action from Keeneland in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), a 1 1/16-mile test with a Juvenile berth awarded to the winner. The $1.3 million yearling purchase Ferocious was second last out to Chancer McPatrick in the Hopeful and looms large as he seeks his first graded score to go with a 7 3/4-length debut romp at the Spa that garnered a 96 Beyer from Daily Racing Form for conditioner Gustavo Delgado. His challengers include the graded stakes-placed Tenacious Leader for Pletcher and the romping debut maiden winner East Avenue for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The sequence concludes back at Santa Anita with seven aspirants competing in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah (G1), which offers a berth into the Juvenile. McKinzie Street looks to avenge a last-out runner-up finish to Gaming in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) for conditioner Tim Yakteen, while Baffert again holds a strong hand in Futurity third-place finisher Citizen Bull, Grade 3 winner Getaway Car and maiden-winner Emerald Bay.

Future stars Pick 5

Leg A: Belmont at the Big A, race 7, Frizette (G1), 3:17 p.m. EDT

Leg B: Belmont at the Big A, race 8, Champagne (G1), 3:49 p.m.

Leg C: Santa Anita Park, race 3, Oak Leaf (G2), 5 p.m.

Leg D: Keeneland, race 9, Breeders’ Futurity (G1), 5:16 p.m.

Leg E: Santa Anita Park, race 9, American Pharoah (G1), 8 p.m.