Whereshetoldmetogo finishes strong to win Star de Naskra

Whereshetoldmetogo used a strong finish to win his third race in a row with the $75,000 Star de Naskra, the last of four Maryland-bred or -sired stakes Saturday on the Maryland Pride card at Laurel Park.

Whereshetoldmetogo was unhurried early by jockey Jeremy Rose while racing in fourth position. He rallied after pacesetting Onemoregreattime and NicoBree N Teej nearing the stretch of the six-furlong race, took the lead nearing the sixteenth pole, and drew off to a two-length score.

Trained by Delaware Park-based horseman Anthony Pecoraro, Whereshetoldmetogo had won the Concern Stakes at Laurel and a first-level optional-claiming race prior to the Star de Naskra. Whereshetoldmetogo, a $7,000 purchase at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale by Black Cloud Stable, is now 6 for 14 in his career with earnings of $263,000.

Pecoraro attributed Whereshetoldmetogo's improvement to him shortening the El Padrino colt up in distance.

"I had been trying to stretch him out," Pecoraro said.

Whereshetoldmetogo was timed in a rapid 1:09.11 after Onemoregreattime set fractions of 22.31, 44.96, and 56.76 while being chased by Nico Bree N Teej. Whereshetoldmetogo paid $3.20 in the six-horse field of 3-year-olds.

Onemoregreattime finished second, two lengths ahead of Nico Bree N Teej.

Miss Disco: Majestic Reason weaves way to victory

Majestic Reason couldn't keep up with front-running Zorally early in the six-furlong $75,000 Miss Disco but she made up for it in the stretch and ran by her in the final sixteenth of a mile.

Zorally, equipped with blinkers for the first time, sprinted off to a clear early advantage in the six-furlong dirt race for Maryland-bred or -sired 3-year-old fillies and laid down splits of 21.99 and 44.89 seconds. It looked in midstretch as if she might have the race under control, but Majestic Reason began to make up ground along the rail and passed the second- and third-place runners, Deep Red and Limited View.

Jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. took Majestic Reason outside Zorally nearing the sixteenth pole and she pulled off to a 1 1/4-length victory.

Majestic Reason is now 2 for 3 in her career for owners Richard Golden and Ellen Charles and trainer Graham Motion. She paid $6.60 as a narrow second choice to Zorally, who lasted for second by a nose over Caught Dream'n, who broke slowly and then finished well but belatedly.

It was 3 1/4 lengths farther back to Deep Red in fourth.

The final time of the race was 1:10.80, meaning the final quarter-mile went in a tepid 25.91.