Aqueduct: Long On Value seeks confidence-builder in Capossela
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After unsuccessfully knocking heads with some of the top horses of his age group, Long On Value finds a little class relief when he runs in Saturday’s $100,000 Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Aqueduct.
Purchased privately by Adam Wachtel following three wins last summer on the Mid-Atlantic circuit, Long On Value finished sixth in the Grade 1 Hopeful to Strong Mandate and sixth in the Grade 1 Champagne to end his juvenile campaign. He began his 3-year-old season with a fourth-place finish behind Wildcat Red in the Grade 3 Hutcheson at Gulfstream. Wildcat Red came back to win the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
“His race wasn’t bad the other day,” trainer Bill Mott said Thursday by phone from south Florida. “We just need to avoid the Havanas and Wildcat Reds, we need to try to get away from some of those. It’s not rocket science, it’s a matter of getting into a field he can be competitive with.”
At time of entry, Monday, Mott named John Velazquez on Long On Value. However, Velazquez is riding at Gulfstream on Saturday. As of Thursday morning, Mott had not yet finalized a jockey for Long On Value.
Hot Heir Skier returns to New York where on Jan. 20 he won the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes by a half-length over next-out winners Oliver Zip and Charleymillionaire. Despite having won his last two starts without blinkers, trainer Ben Perkins Jr. sought and received permission from the New York stewards to add blinkers for this race.
“Even though he won, he was a little erratic coming through the lane,” Perkins said by phone from Maryland, where his string is based at the Bowie training center. “He was inside, outside, it almost cost him the race. He got away with it, but you don’t want to take a chance of it happening again if there’s something you can do to help.”
Jose Ortiz rides Hot Heir Skier from post 6.
Like Hot Heir Skier, Loki’s Vengeance has won two straight races. On Jan. 20, six races before Hot Heir Skier won the Winkfield, Loki’s Vengeance won a first-level New York-bred allowance race, running six furlongs in 1:10.88, .37 of a second faster than Hot Heir Skier.
“I think he’s a good fit in there,” said Mike Hushion, trainer of Loki’s Vengeance. “It looks like a good amount of speed, but with the outside post he can settle in where he needs to be. If we break sharp, that’s okay, too.”
Manny Franco rides Loki’s Vengeance from post 7.
Oliver Zip, second to Hot Heir Skier in the Winkfield, came back to win a starter allowance by seven lengths Feb. 21. Trainer Kelly Breen said he used that as his primary training tool for this. Rajiv Maragh rides from post 4.
Maryland shippers Germaniac and Good Time Henny as well as the David Jacobson-trained Geaux Mets complete the field.