Long On Value sprinting again, wins Lucky Coin

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Long On Value shortened up to a sprint for the first time since his 2-year-old campaign and made the most of the opportunity, circling widest into the stretch en route to a one-length victory over 16-1 outsider Successful Native in Monday’s $100,000 Lucky Coin Stakes at Saratoga.

Undrafted, making his first start since returning from Ascot, finished another three parts of a length farther back in third as the 6-5 favorite in a scratched-reduced field of seven older turf-sprint specialists.

“Sometimes you get an intuition you need to change things up,” winning trainer Bill Mott said when asked why the decision to turn Long on Value back to a sprint. “He was fresh, he missed a little training, the race came up, I looked at the other spots available and said they’d be tough spots, too. This horse had run in a couple of these types of races as a 2-year-old, and we said why not give him a try one time. He’s been good to us. We had nothing to lose.”

Long On Value raced near the rear of the field off the early pace set by Beantown Saint. Jockey Joel Rosario swung Long on Value five wide rallying into the stretch, then out-finished Florida invader Successful Native, who had gained a short lead from between horses at mid-stretch.

Undrafted raced within easy striking distance from the outset, came wide for the drive but lacked the necessary response at the end.

Long On Value covered 5 1/2 furlongs over a firm course in 1:01.76 and paid $8.80.

“This certainly opens some options for him later on,” Mott said. “We’ve taken him out to Minnesota to win the Derby out there, he won a stakes in California the day before the Breeders’ Cup a couple of years ago, he won the Canadian at Gulfstream. He’s been a good servant, a very useful horse for us. He always seems to try.”