Aqueduct: Hot Heir Skier to show speed in Jimmy Winkfield Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The last time trainer Ben Perkins Jr. won a stakes race at Aqueduct was three years ago, when Breathoffreshheir took the Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over the inner track.

On Monday, Perkins returns to Aqueduct in search of another stakes score with that filly’s full brother, Hot Heir Skier, in the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.

The Winkfield, named in honor of the last black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, tops a nine-race Martin Luther King Jr. Day card at Aqueduct. The Winkfield also will be the first race on which a fan in attendance can win the right to place a $1,000 win wager as part of a new promotion called “Grand Mondays.”

The Winkfield drew a field of eight, but Alex Inc was expected to run in an allowance race at Parx Racing on Sunday.

Stakes success with siblings would be nothing new to Perkins and owner Ebby Novak, who races under the banner New Farm. In 2000, they won the Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes with Forest Heir. The following fall, they won the then-Grade 3 (now defunct) Valley Stream Stakes with his full sister, Forest Heiress.

Hot Heir Skier is a son of Wildcat Heir – coincidentally a brother to Forest Heir and Forest Heiress – out of the four-time New Jersey-bred stakes winner Uphill Skier. Hot Heir Skier blew a two-length lead in the stretch of his debut at Laurel Park, where he didn’t change leads and got run down by Triple Net. Hot Heir Skier came back to win a maiden race by 3 1/4 lengths at Laurel on Dec. 26.

“First race, he wasn’t 100 percent tight, but I thought he had enough talent to win anyway,” Perkins said. “He was a little green, a little on the muscle, made a little early move, lost his focus, and got caught. The second race, we tightened the screws a little bit more.”

Perkins said Hot Heir Skier is a lot like most progeny of Wildcat Heir in that he possesses plenty of early speed.

“They all have speed – you got to use their speed,” Perkins said. “He’s not speed-crazy. He will sit and relax. He’s got a nice, long stride, and he’ll give it to you when you ask him.”

Jose Ortiz will ride Hot Heir Skier from post 6.

Charleymillionaire, a New Jersey-bred son of Sky Mesa, has won 2 of 5 starts. Two of his losses came when running second to the fleet filly Flay Mignon. A third loss came when he blew a shoe while stretching out in distance at Parx on Nov. 3.

Charleymillionaire is coming off a first-level allowance win at Parx on Nov. 26.

“He stalked a horse nicely around there,” trainer Greg Sacco said. “He’s not speed-crazy, but he’ll be forwardly placed.”

Other contenders include Pax Orbis, a two-time winner at Laurel; Oliver Zip, second in the Don Rickles Stakes here Dec. 21; and Cavu, a maiden winner for Kiaran McLaughlin who will run on Lasix for the first time.