Pavo shortens up for Capossela

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - When Pavo ran in last month's Count Fleet Stakes, he was filling in for injured stablemate Daddy Joe, and playing the two-turn game for which he may not be best suited.

Pavo, who finished fourth in the Count Fleet, cuts back to his preferred distance of six furlongs on Saturday, when he faces five rivals in the $75,000 Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes at Aqueduct.

In his only start at six furlongs, Pavo rallied from last to win the restricted City Zip Stakes by a half-length, running down a game Benjamin Baby, who looms a major threat in here. Pavo is reunited with jockey Alan Garcia and will break from post 2.

has had three workouts since the Count Fleet, and his four-furlong move in 47.31 seconds over the inner track on Tuesday has his connections pumped.

"I think he'll run a huge race," said his owner, Ernie Paragallo. "It should set up with speed in front of him, and unless the track is impossible to rally on he should run huge." Paragallo believes that Pavo is a free-running horse who resented being taken hold of in the Count Fleet.

Pavo took advantage of a hotly contested pace to win the City Zip, and figures to get a similar scenario in the Capossela.

was pressing extremely fast fractions in maiden races in Southern California before being purchased privately by New York connections and turned over to trainer John DeStefano. He hasn't shown that same speed in the morning in two works over the inner track, but figures to be part of the pace under Rafael Bejarano.

Richard Migliore was scheduled to ride Attila's Storm before trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, believing this field had come up light, opted to enter Benjamin Baby in the Capossela rather than wait for next month's Gotham. Migliore earned his 4,000th career victory when he guided Benjamin Baby to a front-running score in an entry-level allowance field on Feb. 4.

"He doesn't need to be on the lead," McLaughlin said. "The fear is [running] back in 15 days."

New York-bred runners make up half the field. , who was entered in an open-company allowance race for Friday, would be at least a pace factor if trainer Rick Violette elects to run here. Summerland hasn't run since finishing third behind Naughty New Yorker and Sort It Out in the Damon Runyon Stakes on Dec 12.

Distinctive Trick, who won a restricted entry-level allowance race here on Jan. 30, and Hottothetouch, a New York-bred maiden winner with blinkers added, complete the field.