Malibu Annie back at sprint distance in Friday feature

Malibu Annie was sent off at 31-1 when she faced stakes horses for the first time in the $58,460 Duchess of York in her last start Oct. 4 at Northlands Park. She ran okay, though, finishing fourth in the 1 1/16-mile race won by Brady’s Tomboy. She will be a substantially shorter price when she cuts back to a sprint in a first-level allowance race for fillies and mares at Northlands on Friday.

The 6 1/2-furlong dash drew five horses and kicks off the second-to-last Friday evening card at the Northlands meet that ends Oct. 26. Post time is 6:30 p.m. Mountain.

A Kentucky-bred mare by Malibu Moon, Malibu Annie is lightly raced for a 5-year-old. Trained by Mike Halabi, she has started only eight times, but she has improved dramatically in her last three races. Her best race prior to her sharp win in a maiden special weight race Aug. 15 was a third-place finish in which she finished 10 1/4 lengths behind the winner. That effort came in her final start of 2013, and she didn’t make much of an impact when she resurfaced in a $25,000 optional-claiming race June 25.

Following her disappointing effort in her 2014 debut, Halabi gave Malibu Annie time to regroup, and when she returned almost two months later, she forced the pace before edging Flattering Life by a length in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race. She followed up her win with a solid second-place finish in a first-level allowance race prior to her respectable effort in the Duchess of York, where she had a four-wide trip.

KEY CONTENDERS

Malibu Annie (Last 3 Beyers: 54-50-57)

◗ She won’t mind the move back to a sprint and the class relief after trying a middle distance for the first time in the Duchess of York.

Dizzy Mz Tizzy (Last 3 Beyers: 53-52-28)

◗ Also trained by Halabi, she is still a maiden, but she came from last to finish just a head behind her stablemate in the Duchess of York.

◗ There should be an honest pace for her to work with, and with just four starts in her career, the lightly raced 4-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful should have plenty of upside potential.

Flattering Life (Last 3 Beyers: 51-50-42)

◗ Trained by Floyd Arthur, she looked good in winning a maiden special weight race Oct. 1 and attracts leading rider Rico Walcott.