Aqueduct: Long River has edge, even at shorter distance

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Wednesday’s $100,000 Time for a Change Stakes began as a game of poker matching Kiaran McLaughlin’s pair against Todd Pletcher’s three of a kind.

It turns out, that both trainers will not be “all in” as McLaughlin plans on running just his ace – Long River – while Pletcher will go with his off-suited, uncoupled entry of 3-year-olds Micromanage and Battier in the one-mile stakes, which kicks off the Thanksgiving week of racing at Aqueduct.

McLaughlin entered Long River and Irsaal in the Time for a Change, but entered Irsaal back in a second-level allowance on Thursday’s card, which is where he will run. In addition to Micromanage and Battier, Pletcher also entered Midnight Taboo in the Time for a Change, but also entered that horse in that same allowance on Thursday.

Long River, a royally bred son of Grade 1 winners A.P. Indy and Round Pond, is making the third start off a layoff precipitated by a chip in a knee which was removed following a last-place finish in the Grade 3 Withers in February. After getting beat a neck in a first-level allowance race at Belmont in September, Long River came back impressively to clear that condition by two lengths on Oct. 25.

“He came back super,” McLaughlin said. “That was a very good race first start to go a mile and a sixteenth and just get beat on the money. His last race was excellent.”

McLaughlin said Long River he would prefer if this race was farther than one mile, “but this is the way it worked out.”

“We would like longer,” he said.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain, but Long River’s pedigree suggests an off track should not be problematic. Irad Ortiz rides from post 2.

Micromanage and Battier finished third and fourth behind romping winner Romansh in the Grade 3 Discovery. In the spring, Micromanage appeared on the cusp of becoming a significant player in the 3-year-old division.

“He’s been right on the verge of doing that,” Pletcher said. “He needs to step up and do it.”

Battier has not won since taking the Fit to Fight Stakes, which, like this race, was a one-turn mile run over Aqueduct’s main track. He ran a respectable third behind Will Take Charge and Moreno in the Pennsylvania Derby before the Discovery.

“He’s a tricky horse to ride,” Pletcher said. “He got too far back in the last race and there’s a fine line getting him to relax and getting him too far back. Hopefully, cutting back to a one-turn mile might benefit him.”

Both Micromanage and Battier have won on off tracks.

Smooth Bert could be the horse to catch breaking from the rail under Mike Luzzi. Last December, Smooth Bert won the Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-breds over a sloppy main track.

Vegas No Show, who won an overnight stakes at Belmont in October before running seventh in the Discovery, and Maryland shipper Souper Knight complete the field.