Here's how I will approach Friday's late pick 4 at Laurel Park, which includes a trio of allowance races. The 1-turn miles and second finish line will be employed in 3 of these heats.

5th Race LRL (2:25 EST): DOPPELGANGER, anxious and in-hand until late backstretch, reeled in loose leader Nostalgic Run – a next-out allowance winner – and powered clear in the final sixteenth. He should prove a handful in his second start off a six-month layoff for Team Russell.

6th Race LRL (2:56 EST): The second division of a split, one-mile allowance race appears wide open. Take the three runners entering new, high-percentage barns. CLASSIER, a Grade III winner in California when trained by Bob Baffert, worked a 4F bullet at Laurel Park for his new connections after making the cross-country journey. MR HUSTLE rallied for second at 6F behind speedball Al Loves Josie (5-17, $238k), now stretches out off the Ness claim. Trainer Norm Cash is winless from his last 14 claims, 12 at single digit odds. But don’t be fooled. Cash can get a horse ready and DIXIE DRAWL could enhance his 5-for-11 record at the distance.

7th Race LRL (3:27 EST): Something has to give in this speed-laden field. CHEETARA, a multiple stakes-winning sprinter, rallied to win a 6F allowance off a similar-type layoff to launch a $115k 6-year-old season. SHESALITTLE EDGY returned from a 10-month layoff at Aqueduct, dueled and held second behind Rossa Veloce (8-24, $421k). RESPONSE TIME, first or second in her last five allowance sprints at Laurel Park, caught a very game PRINCESS KOKACHIN at this distance.

8th Race LRL (3:58 EST): RED WINE TIME seeks a re-run of her race for $25,000 two back, when she broke from post 10, hesitated, swung 6-wide and floated out in mid-stretch when second to the 42-1 winner. GWYNEDD exited a triple key race, then ran second to Dotada, who repeated in a starter allowance in her next start. PERFORMANCEANXIETY and THE HAUNTED ROOM were runaway maiden winners at one mile recently and round out the Pick 4 ticket.

Suggested 50-Cent Ticket:

5th Race LRL: 3
6th Race LRL: 1, 6, 8
7th Race LRL: 2, 3, 4, 5
8th Race LRL: 2, 4, 6, 7

Cost for 50-cent ticket: $24