Nice Ace back on Lasix off long layoff

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Nice Ace ships in and tries to extend his win streak to four races against some classy opposition off a long layoff in Saturday’s Woodbine feature, a seven-furlong conditioned allowance with an $80,000 claiming option.

Trained by Tim Girten, the speedy Nice Ace won each of his last three outings last summer over the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. That run included back-to-back stakes scores going a mile and 70 yards, with a pair of Beyer Speed Figures in the mid-80s.

Nice Ace has four sprint victories to his credit. He wintered at Turfway, where he worked weekly from March 23 to April 19. On May 2, he zipped a half-mile in a bullet 47 seconds at Presque Isle. The 6-year-old is getting back on Lasix and could secure an easy lead under his regular rider, Pablo Morales.

South Bend is making his first start on Tapeta as a new gelding in his debut for trainer Mark Casse. Previously trained by Bill Mott, the 7-year-old gelding has been unraced since his 2022 season, during which he went winless in nine races.

South Bend finished fifth behind the likes of Skippylongstocking, Prevalence, and O Besos in a pair of Grade 3 stakes that bookended his 2022 campaign. He also placed in several allowances in Kentucky after ending up third in the restricted Knicks Go Stakes at Churchill, where he took the Street Sense Stakes at 2.

Sahin Civaci will ride South Bend, who has worked extensively over Woodbine’s Tapeta since shipping in from central Florida, including five-eighths in a bullet 59.60 on April 12.

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Stakes winners Secret Reserve, Rondure, and Luckman are all coming off the sidelines.

Secret Reserve is a four-time stakes winner for trainer Mike Mattine. He capped his 2023 campaign with an inside-bias-aided win in the Steady Growth for Ontario-sired stock. The fast worker has needed one in the past to help shake off the rust.

Rondure, victorious in the Grade 3 Marine in 2022, won his second start off the bench going seven-eighths in allowance company here last spring. He missed the second half of the year after disappointing in the Grade 2 Eclipse and then wintered at the Palm Meadows Training Center with trainer Katerina Vassilieva.

Luckman was a fruitful $25,000 claim in 2022 by trainer Vito Armata, who sent him out to take the 2022 Toronto Cup and a conditioned allowance last spring. He tailed off last fall and is probably a race or two away from regaining his best form after spending the winter in Ontario.

Border Town is the lone winter-raced entrant in the seven-horse field.

Trained by Marty Drexler, Border Town narrowly lost his last race in a $35,000 starter allowance going 7 1/2 furlongs around two turns on the grass at Gulfstream. He got a 100 Beyer in an authoritative tally over the Tapeta here in November.

Saturday’s nine-race card begins at 1:10 p.m.

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