LAUREL, MD. 01-31-15---When nominations close on Thursday for the $250,000 General George (G3) Handicap, don’t be surprised to see the name Smash and Grab after he cruised to victory in today’s seventh race at Laurel Park.

Six runners contested the seven furlong allowance test, which is the same distance as the Feb. 16 General George, and several had stakes credentials. Smash and Grab went to the front and skipped off to a comfortable lead under Xavier Perez. He wasn’t threatened the rest of the way to the win the $50,000 race by 5 ½ lengths. The winning time for the 5-year-old son of Sharp Honor was 1:23.10. Damon Dilodovico trains Smash and Grab, who came into his barn late last summer.

“I was confident heading in but the three horses we have run before him this week didn’t run well,” Dilodovico said. “He seemed to love the added distance and Xavier did a great job. You always get scared with him because it is not uncommon for him to wait on horses but that didn’t happen today. The General George is a short turnaround, a little quick for my liking but the owner (Ronald Cuneo) wants to go. It will all depend how he comes out of the race.”

Smash and Grab, who paid $7.40, improved to seven-of-nine at Laurel, which includes a second place finish in the Fire Plug Stakes earlier this month.  He finished sixth in last year’s General George.

About Laurel Park
Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.