Debut-winning pair step up in wide-open Central Park

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Jack and Jim and Not for Hire may have less seasoning than their fellow 2-year-olds entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Central Park Stakes, they are two of several contenders in a seemingly wide-open renewal of the one-mile turf stakes at Aqueduct.

The Central Park drew a field of 11, but only 10 may run as the rails on the outer turf course are out 18 feet.

Jack and Jim and Not for Hire are two of seven New York-breds in the field. They each defeated New York-breds on debut. Jack and Jim did so Sept. 22, rallying from midpack and being carried out in midstretch when ultimate third-place finisher Sky Masterson came out and appeared to bump him. Still, he continued on and beat Leon Blue by three-quarters of a length.

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“He always acted like he had ability, he’s always done things quite nicely in the morning,” trainer Graham Motion said. “Did I expect him to go out and win like that? No.”

Motion said the fact Jack and Jim doesn’t carry a lot of condition made him less in a hurry to run him back quickly. The Central Park gives him nearly two months between starts.

“This was an easy race to point for,” Motion said.

Conversely, George Weaver is running both Not for Hire and Super Swift back on relatively short rest. Not for Hire beat New York-breds by five lengths sprinting in his debut. He got away from the gate cleanly under Jose Lezcano, set modest fractions, and kicked on when challenged at the head of the lane.

“He was tight in the gate that day, surprisingly he came out of there well, most of the times when they’re tight and not standing good they don’t get away that well,” Weaver said. “I imagine going two turns he would be close to the pace if not on it.”

Super Swift won his debut in an off-the-turf race before running second in the Atlantic Beach Stakes going six furlongs Nov. 1. He hung on his left lead throughout the stretch run of the Atlantic Beach.

“It didn’t help,” Weaver said. “Sometimes, when they’re staying on their left lead and you’re trying to get them to switch you lose momentum. . . . I do like him on the turf. He’s a big, leggy horse, I’m curious to see what he does. He’s got the body style that suggests a little more ground is going to help him.”

John Velazquez will have to work out a trip from post 10.

Early Adopter was a debut winner for Chad Brown at Saratoga before finishing third behind stablemate Zulu Kingdom in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct. Flavien Prat rides from post 9.

Sounds Like a Plan, with blinkers added for his second start, was a front-running winner of a 1 1/16-mile maiden race here Oct. 19. McDiesel and Not for Hire are likely to be forward factors.

Davy Crockett is coming off a two-length maiden win in his third career start for Christophe Clement.

Fire Pit, Manhattan Twist, and Smooth Breeze complete the field. Rock d’Oro, who has made his first two starts in Europe for Ralph Beckett, needs a scratch to draw into the field.

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