HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Bendoog went up against a Grade 1 winner the last time he ran in the overnight ranks at Oaklawn Park. The story will be the same Friday when he meets Stronghold. The pair is among seven signed on for an allowance for 4-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles. Others set to start include stakes winners Gould’s Gold and Seize the Night, the Grade 1-placed King Russell, the multiple stakes-placed Woodcourt, and the bred-in-the-purple Gun Party. Bendoog ran second to Grade 1 winner Saudi Crown in a ratings handicap in his last start, which came March 5 at Oaklawn. He can become a millionaire Friday when he returns from his South Florida base for owner Frank Fletcher, who is a resident of Arkansas. “You know, I looked at this race and it looks pretty good,” Bill Mott, who trains Bendoog, said earlier this week. “It looks like a good, solid race. I looked at it from top to bottom and I said, ‘Oh, it came up pretty salty.’ I was hoping to find an easier spot, but it came up a good race.” :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Bendoog, a Group 1-placed earner of $975,166, was making his first start of the year last out. He stalked the pace and made a determined run at wire-to-wire winner Saudi Crown. Bendoog was beaten a length and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 99. “He ran his heart out,” Mott said. “He’s really a cool horse. He’s a big, handsome horse and he’s pretty cool. He tries. He always puts in a good effort. You can look at his form and you can see that he tries pretty hard.” Since that start, Saudi Crown has won the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland. Bendoog will start from post 6 under Junior Alvarado. Stronghold, who became a Grade 1 winner in April 2024 when he captured the Santa Anita Derby, is making his first start since August when he was second by a half-length in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar. For his return, he is stretching back out to the distance of his win in the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby in February 2024. Stronghold has done the bulk of his prep work for Friday in Southern California. Among his moves was a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on March 30 at Santa Anita. He breezed over the local strip Sunday and went a half-mile in 48 seconds. Stronghold will race on Lasix for the first time. Ramon Vazquez has the mount from post 7 for trainer Phil D’Amato. Seize the Night won last year’s $175,000 Tinsel at Oaklawn, while Gould’s Gold was third to eventual Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap in February at Oaklawn. The 10-race card also includes a first-level allowance sprint for 3-year-olds that has a claiming option of $150,000. Spun D M C is making his first start since running third in the Advent on the opening day card Dec. 12 at Oaklawn. The stakes winner Hammond exits a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.