How to bet Saturday's Cross Country Pick 4 on a budget

The New York Racing Association will on Saturday host a Cross Country Pick 4 featuring races from Aqueduct Racetrack and Charles Town, including the Grade 2, $1.2 million Charles Town Classic. 

Saturday's Pick 4 sequence will start with the Dance to Bristol, carded as Race 10 at Charles Town with a scheduled post time of 5:04 p.m. EST. It will be followed by Race 8 at Aqueduct (5:17), a one-mile allowance for New York-breds, and Race 11 at Charles Town, the Classic (5:36 p.m. EST). The final leg of the Cross Country Pick 4 will be Aqueduct’s New York Stallion Series Park Avenue division (5:49).  

The Cross Country Pick 4 will have a minimum bet of 50 cents.

Once again, I will use one of my favorite cost-effective Pick 4 wagering strategies, the spread ticket formula. It would cost $108 to lump all of my contenders on one ticket, but the spread ticket formula knocks the price down to a more reasonable $40. Last week, we wagered a similar amount and returned $88.30 on the Arkansas Derby Pick 4.

Cross Country Pick 4 Contenders

CT 10 (Dance to Bristol, 7f)  

Primary - #3 INSPEIGHTOFYOU, #6 Ascertain

Secondary - #2 Lake Ponchatrain

Comments -  Inspeightofyou easily captured her last three starts at Delta Downs for quality trainer Tom Amoss. Ascertain moved to the Todd Pletcher barn and looked great in her romping return at Gulfstream on Feb. 19.  

AQU 8 (Alw-1x, NY-bred, 8f) 

Primary - #3 DYNAMAX PRIME, #1 Horoscope

Secondary  #7 Swivel

Comments - Dynamax Prime hit the board in his last two course/distance starts vs. this kind. He might get there with a bit more pace help. Horoscope is faster than these on paper but has not been seen in a year.    

CT 11  (G2 Charles Town Classic, 9f)  

Primary - #4 SOMETHING AWESOME, #5 War Story

Secondary - #1 Fear the Cowboy, #6 Diversify

Comments - Something Awesome won 4 of his last 5 starts at Laurel, and the razor sharp, versatile gelding might be this good. War Story exits a romping stakes win at Tampa Bay. He was a close-up 3rd in this event last year. 

AQU 9 (NYSS Park Avenue, 6.5f)

Primary - #9 ORCHID PARTY, #4 Pure Silver

Secondary - #6 My Roxy Girl, #2 Aunt Babe, #1 Wegetsdamunnys, #8 Giant Boxer

Comments - Orchid Party won her last three at Aqueduct. Her numbers are on the rise and she is back quickly for Rudy Rodriguez. Pure Silver reconnects with winning rider John Velazquez. She was 2nd in both local 2017 starts.