The Stronach 5, which continues to provide a strong return on investment as well as an industry-low 12-percent takeout, features three races Friday from Gulfstream Park and two from Laurel Park.
The Stronach 5 begins at 3:49 p.m. and its last two legs will be on the turf from Gulfstream.
The Stronach 5 begins at Laurel with the eighth race, a starter optional claimer at six furlongs. Bull Shark, a lightly raced 4-year-old for trainer Cathal Lynch, has won three of six starts at Laurel. He gets Trevor McCarthy in the saddle. Phantom Ro, a former Florida Sire Stakes winner, enters off a 3 ½-length victory last time out.
Gulfstream’s eighth race, the second leg, is an allowance optional claimer at six furlongs for 2-year-olds. Gary Barber’s Carson City Kid is the 2-1 favorite while Arindel’s homebred Tiger is the 5-2 second choice.
Laurel’s ninth race serves as the third leg. A claiming event for fillies and mares at a mile, Lady Macho ships in from Finger Lakes after two second-place finishes under allowance conditions for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer.
The Stronach 5 returns to Gulfstream for the final two legs, both turf races at 1 1/16 miles. The ninth race, an allowance optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up, is extremely competitive with 5-2 morning-line favorite Flowmotion breaking from the hedge and a winner of three of his last five for trainer Jane Cibelli and jockey Paco Lopez. Jolting Joe comes into the event of a second-place finish Nov. 7 in the Showing Up at Gulfstream Park. The colt won the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Saratoga in August.
The final leg of the sequence, Gulfstream’s 10th race, is a claiming event with the 3-1 favorite Lets Play Hardball breaking from post 12 for trainer Mike Maker and jockey Luis Seaz. Spinning Kitten a last-out winner, is 10-1 in the morning line with jockey Joe Bravo. Time for Trouble, another Maker trainee, gets jockey Edgard Zayas.
Friday’s races and sequence
- Leg One – Laurel Park 8th Race: (8 entries, 6 furlongs) 3:49 ET, 12:49 PT
- Leg Two –Gulfstream Park 8th Race: (6 entries, 6 furlong) 4 ET, 1 PT
- Leg Three – Laurel Park 9th Race: (9 entries, 1 mile) 4:18 ET, 1:18 PT
- Leg Four –Gulfstream Park 9th Race: (8 entries, 1 1/16 mile turf) 4:30 ET, 1:30 PT
- Leg Five –Gulfstream West 10th Race: (12 entries, 1 1 1/6 mile turf) 4:27 ET, 1:27 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.
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