Industry-Low 12-Percent Takeout

BALTIMORE – Races from Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields, along with an industry-low 12-percent takeout, will highlight Friday’s Stronach 5.

The multi-track wager continues to show a strong return on investment. Last week’s Stronach 5, with three of the five winners returning $7 or less, had 42 winning tickets with each worth $2,752.

A field of nine 3-year-olds and up kick off Friday’s Stronach 5 at Laurel. The seven-furlong starter optional claimer has a 5-2 entry in Shanghai Superfly and Shane’s Jewel trained by Jamie Ness. Even Thunder and Beyond the Victory are both turning back in distance while Walk Away Joe goes out first time for trainer Dale Capuano.

The first of two turf races from Gulfstream makes up the second leg of the Stronach 5. The mile allowance optional claiming event for fillies and mares has a field of seven Lashara the 2-1 favorite. The daughter of American Pharoah will make her second start off a six-month layoff for Mark Casse. Hotsy Totsy enters the race after winning here for trainer Christophe Clement Feb. 18 off a 13-month layoff. Joe Bravo will be aboard.

Back to Laurel for the third leg of the sequence and a waiver maiden claimer for 3-year-olds. Portal One (8-5) will try to break his maiden off three consecutive second-place finishes. Mosler Safe debuts for Michael Trombetta while Buzzhound, trainer by Capuano, steps up a bit off a third-place finish in his debut.

Gulfstream’s ninth race, the fourth leg of the sequence, brings together nine 3-year-old fillies going 7 ½ furlongs over the turf in a wide-open starter optional claimer. Trainer Mike Maker will have a strong hand with Lullula and Italian Twin, who was claimed for $35,000 after breaking her maiden last out.

The Stronach 5 wraps up out west with Golden Gate’s third race, a claiming event for fillies and mares at 5 ½ furlongs. Moon Rocket, 5-2, goes for her second consecutive victory over Real Keeper, the 2-1 morning line favorite.

Friday’s races and sequence

• Leg One –Laurel Park 8th Race: (9 entries, 7 furlongs) 4:45 ET, 1:45 PT
• Leg Two – Gulfstream Park 8th Race: (7 entries, 1 mile turf) 4:50 ET, 1:50 PT
• Leg Three –Laurel Park 9th Race: (9 entries, 6 furlongs) 5:16 ET, 2:16 PT
• Leg Four –Gulfstream Park 9th Race: (10 entries, 7 ½ furlongs turf) 5:22 ET, 2:22 PT
• Leg Five –Golden Gate Fields 3rd Race: (7 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 5:27 ET, 2:27 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday at InTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.