Acoustic Ave and El Grande O might be stablemates for trainer Linda Rice, but as the two runners prepare for their third meeting since October, it’s becoming more appropriate to call them rivals. The talented pair will square off in an $88,000 allowance at Aqueduct on Friday, another test for them at six furlongs. “I think they’re both very live in that spot,” Rice said. “It’s not an easy race – a small field with some pretty accomplished horses. Any one of them can run a huge number on a given day.” When Rice first pitted her two older sprinters against one another in an allowance at Aqueduct on Oct. 9, they were both in peak condition and ran to form, earning matching 100 Beyer Speed Figures. With a late charge from third, El Grande O prevailed by a head, a career-best victory for the 5-year-old. On Dec. 6, Rice decided to enter them in the Grade 3 Elite Power, though their preparation entering that race was vastly different. Acoustic Ave, who ran two more times in October, outran his odds to finish second in the Elite Power, while El Grande O faded to fourth off a two-month layoff. “I think El Grande O had a tough trip down on the inside,” Rice said. “He’s better off if he can tip out and make a run in the stretch. He was a little intimidated inside, and I think Acoustic Ave is better with a target.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The story entering this race is similar, as El Grande O has not run since the Elite Power. Acoustic Ave managed to squeeze in another start on Dec. 27, a fourth-place finish in allowance company. There, he was forced to fire early from post 2. He will break from the rail on Friday, while El Grande O drew the far outside post. Baby Yoda, claimed for $100,000 by Robert Falcone Jr. in August, will be returning to allowance company. The 8-year-old gelding has not run since late November, when he shipped to Fair Grounds and finished fifth in the $175,000 Thanksgiving Classic. The other two runners in the field, Bold Journey and General Banker, finished ahead of Acoustic Ave in the allowance on Dec. 27. Bold Journey, the runner-up by three-quarters of a length that day, had not run on dirt since April, instead spending most of his 2025 campaign on turf for Bill Mott. General Banker, defeated by a combined 81 1/2 lengths in his three prior starts, vastly improved to finish third last time out with a career-best 95 Beyer. The 6-year-old is once again a contender at this level for James Ferraro. Though it is easily the most competitive race on the card, the short field of five allowance runners will square off in the second race on Friday. It will be the marquee leg of the early pick five, which also includes three maiden fields and a conditioned $12,500 claiming race. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.