Aqueduct: Caixa Eletronica's late kick secures Rise Jim win

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Cornelio Velasquez collects one of his three wins on Sunday's card aboard Caixa Eletronica in the Rise Jim Stakes.

Caixa Eletronica is probably more effective at distances beyond six furlongs, but his class and a potent closing kick carried him to a relatively easy 4 3/4-length victory in Sunday’s $75,000 Rise Jim Stakes at Aqueduct.

Racing widest of all and last - albeit relatively close to the pace - in a compact five-horse field, Caixa Eletronica, under Cornelio Velasquez, surged  past longshot Regal Revenge inside the eighth-pole en route to his 16th career victory in his 49th start.

Regal Revenge, who took over from the pacesetting J.J’s Lucky Train at the three-sixteenths pole, finished second by one-half length over J J.’s Lucky Train. Frazil and Ravalo completed the order of finish.  Law Enforcement and Pretty Boy Freud scratched.

Caixa Eletronica was dropping in class after three graded stakes tries, including a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile over Aqueduct’s main track in November.

Caixa Eletronica brushed with Frazil at the break of the Rise Jim, and maintained an outside position while racing about three lengths off the pace established by J Js Lucky Train, who set fractions of 23.15 seconds and 46.53.

Turning for home, Caixa Eletronica had clear run at the front-runners and finished very well, completing the six furlongs in 1:11.04. He returned $5.20 as the 8-5 choice.

 “He’s just a neat horse to be around,’’ said Michael McCarthy, the New York-based assistant for trainer Todd Pletcher. “He touted himself a little this week; he trained forwardly and had a very good work at Belmont the other day. We were pretty confident coming over here.’’

Caixa Eletronica will likely be considered for the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan at Aqueduct on Feb. 4, though Pletcher and Mike Repole, owner of Caixa Eletronica, are also pointing Calibrachoa to that spot.

The win was one of three on Sunday’s card for Velasquez. Ramon Dominguez also won three on Sunday’s program and leads Velasquez, 35-31, in the jockey standings.

Inishmore, a 3-year-old New York-bred daughter of Friend Island, sustained a slab fracture of her right knee during the running of Sunday’s second race and had to be euthanized.