Niche will get a class test on Saturday when she moves into the first-level allowance ranks in the second race at Aqueduct. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies is one of four allowance offerings on an 11-race card that starts at 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Niche is facing winners for the first time off a sharp maiden special weight win at Laurel Park. Her five rivals Saturday include stakes winners Law School and Divine Intentions, and the stakes-placed Gena B. Niche owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 79, for her maiden score over six furlongs April 17. “She ran a good race the other day, very promising, but this is another step up,” said trainer Rob Atras. “So hopefully, she can do that. “I think it’s a very competitive group. There’s some nice fillies in here, you know, but this is kind of what she needs to run against if she’s going to be a good 3-year-old filly in New York. This is the kind of filly she’s going to have to face. She’s trained very well, worked very good, and this is kind of the race we were looking to get.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Niche seems to have found her, well, niche, on dirt. She debuted on the main track, but was moved to turf after the troubled start and picked up checks in three races before returning to dirt last out and putting up a career-high Beyer. “She’s always shown ability in the morning,” Atras said. “She really didn’t get a fair shake her first start. We tried her on the grass a few times. She ran okay. We just thought there was something more and that was the reason for moving her back to the dirt. “[We’ve been] trying to find out what she really wants to do, and I’m hoping we’re on the right track.” Niche is a daughter of Grade 1 winner Yaupon. She’s also a half-sister to turf stakes winner Proven Strategies and dirt stakes winner Corona Bolt. She was a $275,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton select yearling sale at Saratoga in August 2024 and is owned by Red White and Blue Racing. “She’s a big, good-looking filly; very smart, very fast,” said Atras. Niche led throughout winning her maiden, despite stumbling at the start of the race. “She recovered very quickly and she moved up real quick and she had the lead and I thought she did it quite professional after that,” Atras said. Dylan Davis has the mount Saturday aboard Niche, who could again be prominent when she starts from post 2. “I thought she got to the front quite easily last time,” Atras said, “but the fractions were a little bit on the slow side – but I think the track was kind of on the slow side. I’m just kind of going to leave it up to Dylan. Hopefully, we break sharp, break running, and we’ll see where she ends up.” Law School will start from the rail. She won the $75,000 Parx Future Stars Filly Division last year at 2 and has placed in a pair of stakes this year at 3. She will add blinkers and Lasix. Divine Intentions won the Shamrock Rose at 2 at Parx, while Gena B was second in last year’s Astoria at Saratoga. Getting Closer and Prince of Broadway enter off respective maiden wins at Keeneland and Aqueduct. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.