Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Fifi La Fume can do better second off the layoff

Aqueduct | Race 7 | Post Time 4:17 p.m. (ET)

Irish Jackson (#6) would look tough for this field to handle if you had confidence that she would get back to the form we saw from her just prior to the layoff. However, you have to be mildly concerned about her current condition as she makes her first start in nearly eight months. Rob Falcone is just 4 for 40 (10%, $1.73 ROI) with horses returning from 180- to 360-day layoffs over the last five years. I prefer some runners with more recency.

Dia Por Dia (#3) is a pace player to consider after she showed speed and faded in her first attempt against winners last time. She was racing on the rail during a period when the inside path was a disadvantage, but I still wanted to see her show a bit more fight when challenged. She beat a weaker group on debut, and it's unclear if she's quite good enough based on that form.

Cloudy Chance (#2) ran well at this level last time when finishing second to the consistent Graceful Rose. She hasn’t broken that sharply in her last few starts and was again off a step slowly last time before quickly rushing up into a stalking position. That compensation for her poor starts has perhaps taken away from her finishing ability the last two times, so she needs to break better here.

I'm more interested in another runner from that Feb. 20 race at this level. Fifi La Fume (#7) closed belatedly for fourth, only finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Cloudy Chance. She got a very wide trip, ridden like a horse who probably needed the race off a layoff. Perhaps that race and this one are just preps for a return to turf, where she has run her fastest speed figures. However, she started to show signs of progression in her final few dirt starts last winter. She has worked faster since that return, and I think she deserves another chance on this surface now that she's second off a layoff.