Aqueduct: Hot Stones looks ready to go just a bit farther

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As the trainer of the Grade 1-winning sprinter Bustin Stones as well as a plethora of his progeny, trainer Bruce Levine had reservations about trying the 4-year-old filly Hot Stones around two turns.

“This one always acted like she would go longer,” Levine said. “She always kind of would kick in late and even then I wasn’t totally convinced that she would do it.”

It wasn’t until Hot Stones drew away in the final sixteenth of a mile of a two-turn, one-mile first-level allowance race that she won by 4 3/4 lengths here on Jan. 4 that Levine was convinced Hot Stones could be successful around two turns. Monday, Hot Stones will try to stretch out even further when she heads a seven-horse field set to run 1 1/16 miles in a $69,000 second-level allowance, which serves as the Monday feature at Aqueduct.

Hot Stones has never been worse than third in seven career starts. She has won three of her last four races, her lone loss coming to the talented La Verdad, who has won her last five starts.

Levine said the way Hot Stones finished her last race eases his reservations about trying the additional sixteenth of a mile.

“If she was gasping at the wire or it looked like she was gasping to get the mile I would probably turn her back to a sprint,” Levine said.

Since the race, Hot Stones has worked twice, including a sharp half-mile in 48.34 seconds over the Belmont Park training track on Wednesday.

Jose Ortiz, aboard Hot Stones last out, has the call again breaking from the rail.

Ortiz had been the regular rider of Tahoe Tigress, who makes a foray into open company coming off a runner-up finish in the Judy Soda Stakes for New York-breds here on Jan. 5. In that race, Tahoe Tigress closed well while rallying five wide in the stretch, but came up three-quarters of a length short to Miss Da Point, an inner-track specialist

Jeremiah Engelhart, the trainer of Tahoe Tigress, said he wasn’t displeased that Ortiz elected to go so wide on the 5-year-old Miss Da Point.

“It takes her a little bit of time to stop and get going again, so if he wanted to keep her momentum going and go a little wide that was okay,” Engelhart said. “I was happy with the race, so we’ll give her a shot in the open two-other-than.”

Engelhart said he didn’t let Ortiz’s agent know soon enough that he was running Tahoe Tigress in this spot. He picked up a fine replacement in Jose’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr., who is the leading rider at the meet.

Majestic Marquet, 2 for 2 over the inner track, figures to be a late threat for Rudy Rodriguez. Lady Gracenote, Love Contract, Mr Hall’s Opus, and Magma complete the field.

◗ Aqueduct switches to a four-day race week in February. Following Monday’s card, the next live day of racing is Friday.