Nifty should get pace to aid late kick in sprint

Nifty is a late-running sprinter, so much of his success depends on the kindness of others. He needs a hot pace to set up his late run, and he just might get that scenario Friday in the featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park.

The six-furlong race, an optional-claimer for upper-level allowance horses that carries a $62,000 purse, appears to have plenty of speed, what with the likes of Absolutely Aiden, Candy Cornell, Malpais, There and Back, and especially Hilton Magic in the lineup. If they go too fast too soon, Nifty is perfectly primed to pounce.

Nifty, trained by Larry Jones, broke slowly but ran on well for a second-place finish in a similar race March 14 – his first start in more than eight months – earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 84. It was run over a sloppy, sealed track, but Nifty has run just as well on dry land. The pace, not the footing, is what matters.

“He ran very well last time. Definitely one of his best races,” Jones said in a telephone interview. “He’s definitely better as a 4-year-old. Breaking slow is just what he does. He wants a lot of targets, I guess.”

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He should have plenty Friday. A bulky field of 12 is entered.

Nifty has finished first or second in his last four starts at Oaklawn, all at six furlongs. He did win a first-level allowance last May at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs, which Jones believes is his best distance; he got a career-best Beyer of 90 that day. Seven furlongs is not an option at Oaklawn, making the pace far more important.

“He needs a hot pace to chase and then have them back up,” Jones said. “Definitely seven furlongs is better than six.”

Jones said Nifty was off from June 29 until March 14 because of recurring foot issues that “finally have resolved,” he said.

“He kept getting foot abscesses,” Jones said.

Principe Guilherme is another who should be running late. He won his most-recent start on March 15 at Oaklawn, his second start since adding blinkers, and was claimed out of that race for $50,000 by trainer Chris Richard.

Candy Cornell steps up one level after crushing a first-level allowance field by four lengths on March 14 while recording a Beyer Figure of 94

Malpais drops after facing stakes-class runners in his recent outings. He does not have this allowance condition, so he is in for the $50,000 claiming price. He also has been gelded since his last start.

The lightly raced There and Back ships in from Fair Grounds, where he beat a first-level allowance field on March 19 with a Beyer Figure of 79.

The speedy Hilton Magic figures to fire fresh off a layoff, having been sidelined since September, but the race shape may not be to his liking.

The 10-race card begins at 1:05 p.m. Central.