Oaklawn Park: Rainbow better fit for Devilishly Clever

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Devilishly Clever might be stepping up into stakes company Sunday for the $75,000 Rainbow at Oaklawn Park, but the race suits him on several levels. He will be racing with straight 3-year-olds after facing older rivals earlier this season, and he also gets back with Arkansas-breds after facing open company last out at Oaklawn.

“This will fit him better,” said Stanley Roberts, who trains Devilishly Clever for his co-breeder, Jack Henry.

The six-furlong Rainbow closes out Arkansas-bred weekend at Oaklawn, where statebred stakes have served as the feature each afternoon since Friday. The Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association annual banquet also was this weekend. Ile St. Molly was crowned Horse of the Year for 2013.

For the Rainbow, a field of nine will go, including Wargamer, the winner of the $50,000 Razorback Futurity for Arkansas-breds last September at Louisiana Downs, and The Arkansan, a maiden whose natural speed could enable him to shake free. As for Devilishly Clever, he will be making his second start in a stakes after missing by a half-length in last year’s Razorback Futurity. He launched his 3-year-old season at Oaklawn in January and won a six-furlong maiden special weight race over older statebreds by 3 3/4 lengths.

“This time of year it’s hard to run against older horses,” Roberts said.

Devilishly Clever faced them one more time in a first-level allowance for statebreds won by Valid Commander, who returned in his next start to capture the $75,000 Nodouble at Oaklawn on March 1. Devilishly Clever’s most recent start was a seventh-place finish in a first-level allowance sprint won by the Grade 2-placed Guns Loaded.

“Open company at Oaklawn is tough,” Roberts said. “He’s a nice Arkansas-bred horse. He’s just now coming into himself. He’s by Tactical Cat, which is a pretty nice horse, thrown some runners. I think this horse will be better around two turns. That’s the way he acts right now. I think he’ll show up and run well. It all depends on how the race sets up.”

Devilishly Clever will break from post 9 under Alex Birzer.

“I like the post; you can see what’s going on inside of you,” Roberts said.

Devilishly Clever could get a stalking trip behind The Arkansan, Sea N Suds, who breaks from the rail, and Du Big, who was a wire-to-wire maiden-claiming winner two starts ago at Oaklawn.