Cross-breed double combines Futurity, International Trot

The Belmont Futurity, a race for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds at Belmont Park, and the $1 million Yonkers International Trot, a 1 ¼-mile race at Yonkers Raceway for top Standardbreds, will be linked through a daily double this year when they are held Saturday afternoon, the two tracks announced on Wednesday.

The daily double, which will have a minimum of $2 and a 20 percent takeout, is a rare instance in the U.S. of a linked wager comprising races for two different breeds. The pool for the bet will be hosted by Yonkers.

The Yonkers International Trot was resurrected last year by Yonkers management after not having been run since 1995. When it was run at Roosevelt Raceway from the 1950s through the late 1980s it was one of Harness racing's premier events. The race, which is held at the unusual distance of 1 1/4 miles, drew 10 horses at the post draw on Tuesday afternoon, three from the U.S.

The Futurity is scheduled to kick off the bet with a post time of 2:01 Eastern. The Yonkers International Trot has a scheduled post time of 3:20.