Trainer Rice may have trouble keeping her Disguises apart

Last year, it was easy for trainer Linda Rice to keep half-sisters Midnight Disguise and Holiday Disguise apart. Midnight Disguise was 3 and was kept in races against her own age group, while Holiday Disguise was racing against older.

This year, Rice may have to get creative in keeping the two New York-bred females, out of the mare Thin Disguise, apart as both are now eligible for the same races.

The good news is that both Holiday Disguise and Midnight Disguise showed in their seasonal debuts that they can still compete at a high level.

Holiday Disguise came off a 119-day layoff Saturday to win the $100,000 Broadway Stakes. On Feb. 10, Midnight Disguise returned from a 258-day layoff to run a solid second in the Biogio’s Rose.

Holiday Disguise, a daughter of Harlan’s Holiday who is 7 for 13 with five stakes wins, has won at distances from six furlongs to a mile.

Midnight Disguise, a daughter of Midnight Lute who is 5 for 8 with three stakes wins, has won at distances from six furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.

“I think Holiday is better from six to a mile, the other filly is probably [better] seven to a mile and an eighth, so maybe they’ll separate themselves a little bit that way,” Rice said.

Rice said Holiday Disguise, who earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure in the Broadway, would be pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff at Aqueduct on April 5. Holiday Disguise won that seven-furlong race last year.

Rice said Midnight Disguise would likely be pointed to the $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational going a mile on March 10. Holiday Disguise finished second in the Heavenly Prize last year.