On Saturday, October
2, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a special $500,000
Guaranteed All Grade 1 Pick 4.
The 93rd running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational
highlights the wager and is expected to include Blame, winner of five straight
graded races including the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in
his most recent start, Rail Trip, a multiple graded winner trying conventional
dirt for the first time, and Fly Down, runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes
and the Grade 1 Travers for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito.
The guaranteed wager will also include the $500,000 Flower Bowl
Invitational for fillies and mares going 1 ¼ miles on the turf, the $500,000
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles on
the turf, and the $350,000 Beldame for fillies and mares at the 1 1/8 mile
distance on the main track.
The Flower Bowl will be the seventh race on the card and the first leg
of the Guaranteed Pick 4 with an approximate post time of 3:59 p.m. EDT. By
guaranteeing the wager, NYRA will supplement the net difference if the total
pool is less than $500,000.