Industry-Low 12-Percent Takeout, Four Tracks, One Hour
Pool to Grow in Excess of $500,000

LAUREL, MD – With a carryover of $154,931.69 in the Stronach 5, Friday’s pool is expected to grow in excess of $500,000 while featuring races from Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields along with an industry-low 12-percent takeout.

The Stronach 5, which continues to show a strong return on investment, will begin Friday at 4:30 p.m. with Laurel’s eighth race.

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Laurel’s eighth race, the first leg of Friday’s sequence, brings together a competitive field of 3-year-old fillies in a six-furlong allowance optional claimer. Mens Grille Racing’s Pretty Lori makes her second start, first against winners, after winning her debut by 7 ½ lengths back in September for trainer Hamilton Smith. Trainer Brittany Russell will send out Little Huntress, who broke her maiden by 14 in December before finishing eighth in her 3-year-old debut Feb. 20 in the Wide Country Stakes. Sonata Stable’s Paradise Song, a daughter of Frosted trained by Michael Trombetta, broke her maiden at second asking Jan. 15. She was a game second at Laurel Feb. 12 behind Liv and Let Liv, a winner of four of her six starts.

The Stronach 5 moves to Gulfstream for the second leg and its eighth race, a wide-open mile claiming event for fillies and mares. Assume Control enters off a two-length victory against similar Feb. 25 while Flashing Diamond looks to be on the pace or close to it coming out of sprints. Interest drops in company and moves to the main track for Dan Hurtak.

Older maiden claimers go 5 ½ furlongs in Laurel’s ninth race, the third leg of the Stronach 5 sequence. Thunderinthevalley comes into the race off a third-place finish in the slop Feb. 27 and a second-place finish on a fast track Jan. 23.

The Stronach 5 heads west for the final two legs. Santa Anita’s third race, a maiden claimer for 3-year-olds going a mile, has Simmer Down, who has placed in three of his six starts, and Royal Orb, who comes in off a pair of third-place finishes. Trainer Sal Gonzalez will send out Hard Metal, second Feb. 21. Sky Navigator moves back to the main track after a fourth-place finish on the turf Jan. 18.

The Stronach 5 concludes with Golden Gate’s third race, a maiden claimer for 3-year-old fillies. Owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza drops In the Wind into the claiming event after going 1 ¼ mile on the turf against maiden special weight company at Santa Anita March 12. Trainer Jonathan Wong sends out Malibu Jewel, who gets Lasix for the first time. Gary Barber’s Made in Karoo drops in company and goes out for the first time for trainer Steve Miyadi.

Friday’s races and sequence

• Leg One – Laurel Park 8th Race: (8 entries – 6 furlongs) 4:30 ET, 1:30 PT
• Leg Two – Gulfstream Park 8th Race: (8 entries – 1 mile) 4:48 ET, 1:48 PT
• Leg Three –Laurel Park 9th Race: (13 entries – 5 ½ furlongs) 5:03 ET, 2:03 PT
• Leg Four –Santa Anita Park 3rd Race: (9 entries – 1 mile) 5:08 ET, 2:08 PT
• Leg Five –Golden Gate Fields 3rd Race: (8 entries – 1 mile) 5:25 ET, 2:25 PT