ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 9, HAMAZING VISION

FIRST RACE

Happy Oaklawn! The Hot Springs, Ark., track opens its much-anticipated meet Friday with a ninerace card led by the $125K Fifth Season, a local steppingstone to the Oaklawn Handicap. Other highlights on the card include an optional claiming allowance that drew multiple stakes winners Marquee Miss and Kathballu. In the opener, O’Neill trainee PRAY HARD seeks his third straight win and draws a post that might give Maldonado options. He also owns the field’s best recent Beyer Figures and has had a chance to work over the surface at Oaklawn. CONQUEST HIOSILVER was just edged last out by a quality kind of winner and is further appealing on pedigree as his dam was a Grade 2 winner of $216K and she has produced a Grade 3 winner in Silver Reunion ($254K). OUTRUN THE POSSE shows a forward set of works at Oaklawn in preparation for his first start since November.

SECOND RACE

DESERT DOMINATION is stuck on the also-eligible list but if he were to draw into the body of the field he would look strong in this spot after just missing for this price last out at LRC. For the effort he earned what ranks as this field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure. ZOMBO has class appeal as one who has spent his career facing maiden special weight rivals. He also could be sitting on a peak effort in his third start off the layoff. ARTICULATOR owns the field’s best career Beyer Figure, earned for his debut effort in October at Keeneland. Another who fits well is SHAKEDOWN.

THIRD RACE

BIG RED SEVEN is back on dirt and when last seen on such a surface she was a romping winner and she put up her best career Beyer Figure, an 82. She might be tough to contain were she to run back to that number in this spot. DUSTEM CAROLINA has recency on top choice and consistent sort draws a post that might give Felix options. LIAM’S WORLD has been in the zone of late, winning four of her last five starts. She could be prominent from the start, with little opposing speed to her inside.

FOURTH RACE

This is the first mile race of the meet and just a reminder that mile races at Oaklawn end at the sixteenth pole. MOON GATE WARRIOR draws a wider gate, but he has natural speed and also class appeal as one who faced higher-priced rivals in his most recent start. In preparation for his first out since November, he turned a bullet half-mile over the local strip, the 48.40-second move the fastest of 31 at the half-mile distance Dec. 15 at Oaklawn. SALSA’S RETURN exits same race as top choice, finishing fourth, and the company line makes him appealing. OH NEWMAN us a fresh face as he last raced in October - at Santa Anita. He’s had a chance to work over the local strip and goes for Diodoro, who wins at a well-above average rate with runners returning of layoffs of 61-180 days, according to statistics that appear in Daily Racing Form.

FIFTH RACE

KATHBALLU, who is cross-entered in a Friday night stakes at Delta Downs, is appealing for her company lines, which include Paulassilverlining, Finley’sluckycharm and Farrell. She also is an accomplished sort as a three-time stakes winner, and she is a winner at Oaklawn. In addition, KATHBALLU is a full sister to Grade 2 winner Kathmanblu ($584K). MARQUEE MISS is moving back to the main track off a series of turf sprints and she has run some of her biggest races at Oaklawn, The four-time stakes winner has tactical speed and draws a post that might give McMahon options. EURO K SHOTGUN figures to be strong through the stretch on the cutback from two turns, She was fourth to a quality kind of winner last out in the She’s All In at Remington, and earlier in her career won a pair of sprint stakes. EURO K SHOTGUN is a half-sister to Shotgun Kowboy, a near-

millionaire who goes later on the card in the Fifth Season. SWING AND SWAY also has a brother in the Fifth Season, her Grade 3-winning halfsibling, Sticksstatelydude. SOMEDAY SOON. who was Grade 1-placed two starts back, is returning to a surface over which she is a winner. She also was flattered following her stakes score last out at BtP as three horses she defeated returned to win in their next starts. SOMEDAY SOON is crossentered in the Pippin on Saturday at Oaklawn.

SIXTH RACE

DANGERFIELD appears to have a couple of variables in his favor. He’s appealing on class as one who has seen steeper. He also picks up a bit more real estate and that might serve him well. In addition, DANGERFIELD draws a useful kind of post. SUPERSTYLE must overcome a wide gate, but he is admirable for his consistent nature. As for the race he exits, note the winner came back in his next start to take an N2X at Remington Park with a Beyer Figure of 82 and the 11th-place finisher, Swordfish, a $15K conditioned claimer, also at RP, with a Beyer of 67. SUPERSTYLE last raced at Remington and horses fitting that profile had a lot of success right off the bat at Oaklawn in 2017. YOUR SECRET’S SAFE is another coming out of a key race. The third-place finisher returned in his next start to account for an N1X at DeD, with a Beyer Figure of 77, and the seventh-place finisher, Conquest Wildcat, a $30K claimer at CD, with a Beyer of 71. Another of interest is BROCKTON GEORGE.

SEVENTH RACE

PARTY CLUB seeks to become the fifth next-out winner to emerge from an Oct. 29 maiden special weight at Churchill. The runner-up came back to win a maiden allowance at CD with a Beyer Figure of 79; the third-place finisher, another maiden special weight at the track, with a Beyer of 73; the seventh-place finisher, Classy Act, a maiden allowance at FG, with a Beyer of 71; and the 10th-place finisher, Cheponera, a $30K maiden claimer at CD, with a Beyer of 53. PARTY CLUB is from a mare who won five races, all main track sprints. GOLDEN ROSE has the speed to hold her position from the rail. She also has reason to move forward in what will be her second start since October. THREAD THE NEEDLE ran a promising second in her bow and like that she’s a half-sister to a pair of stakes winners in Kelli Got Frosty ($198K) and The Lewis Dancer ($260K). DIAMONDCOAT is a half-sister to Absinthe Minded, a three-time stakes winner at Oaklawn who ran out $607K. Another of interest is GOOD MOVE, who is from a Grade 3-winning mare who earned $375K and who has produced a stakes winner in Pinch Hit ($159K). OKLAHOMA LONG SHOT is a half-sister to stakes winner Delancy ($101K), while TRACI’S GREELEY exits a race won by a runner who returned in her next start to take the Glitter Woman at Gulfstream with a Beyer Figure of 75.

EIGHTH RACE

A strong group of older horses has come together to match talents in the Fifth Season. DAZZLING GEM gets the nod in part because he ran such a big race off the bench last out when beaten just a head in the Jeffrey Hawk Memorial at Remington - his first start in nine months. He also has a strong record over the Oaklawn strip and might get a better pace setup than he did last time, when attempting to run down a wire-to-wire winner. It looks like there is more speed in this spot. DAZZLING GEM has placed in five stakes, among them the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. UNTRAPPED faces older rivals for the first time off a 3-yearold campaign in which he was a model of consistency. He placed in five graded stakes before snagging one of his own in September in the Oklahoma Derby and note the win came over Battle of Midway, who returned in his next start to account for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. UNTRAPPED put up one of his stronger Beyer Figures over the Oaklawn strip last year, when third in the Grade 2 Rebel. STICKSSTATELYDUDE comes off a productive start, setting the pace in the Tenacious at Fair Grounds in what was his first out since August. He would seem to have reason to move forward. GOATS TOWN is a half-brother to Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap hero S’maverlous. SHOTGUN KOWBOY is on the verge of $1M.

NINTH RACE

HAMAZING VISION put in a nice run for second in his career debut last out at Remington and now he gets his first shot with Arkansas-breds with the meet now on at Oaklawn. He is a half-brother to Ministry, a past winner of the Rainbow Miss at Oaklawn and an earner of $130K. JAPEDO makes the Delta to Oaklawn move and that often is effective, as the track at Delta can be a laboring one, as can Oaklawn. SPANISH AVENUE was a solid fourth in his debut. THE BOSS IS SAUCED is a halfbrother to Primarily Gold, who is 4-for-19.