Saratoga Mischief braves the cold for Fred ‘Cappy' Capossela Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Originally, trainer Todd Pletcher was not planning to run anything in the $100,000 Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes at Aqueduct. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Pletcher eventually entered two in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old sprinters on Sunday, including Saratoga Mischief, the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
The Capossela was originally scheduled for Feb. 6 but did not have enough entries to be carded that day or for Feb. 7. The one-week delay, coupled with races failing to fill at Gulfstream Park, prompted Pletcher to ship Saratoga Mischief here from south Florida on Wednesday. Pletcher also entered Awesome Gent in the Capossela when the $125,000 Rego Park for New York-bred 3-year-old sprinters failed to fill for Sunday.
Saratoga Mischief was a debut winner last July at Saratoga and then finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length, to Exaggerator in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 16. Soon after, Saratoga Mischief was diagnosed with a chip in an ankle that was surgically removed. He resumed working Dec. 9 and has had 10 breezes leading up to his return.
“He’s come back great, looks super, training well,” Pletcher said by phone from Florida. “It’s not ideal to ship up last minute and then draw the 1 hole and worry about the weather. Hopefully, it’s warm enough to run. We need to get his season underway, find out where we are, and see what he does to determine which direction we go from here.”
The forecast for the New York City area this weekend called for temperatures in the teens, with near-zero to below-zero wind chills. The wind is expected to be lighter Sunday than Saturday.
Awesome Gent, a gelding by Awesome Again, finished eighth at Saratoga last September in his debut but has come back with two dominant wins against New York-breds.
Condo King and King Kranz finished one-two in a Dec. 5 maiden race going 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track. King Kranz won his maiden in the Lost in the Fog Stakes here on New Year’s Day before finishing last in the Grade 3 Withers going 1 1/16 miles two weeks ago.
KEY CONTENDERS
Saratoga Mischief, by Into Mischief
Beyers: 83-81
◗ His second to Exaggerator in the Saratoga Special looks better after Exaggerator won the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot in November.
◗ John Velazquez is scheduled to come up from Florida to ride.
Condo King, by Tiz Wonderful
Last 3 Beyers: 49-90-71
◗ After beating King Kranz by a neck in a maiden race Dec. 5, Condo King was stretched out around two turns in the Grade 3 Jerome four weeks later and finished sixth behind the winner, Flexibility.
“That was the right time to do it, give us a chance to see what to point him to,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “He was on the outside, he hooked up a speed duel. Maybe with the right competition, he can go a mile.”
◗ He has worked five times since the Jerome, including a bullet half-mile in 48 seconds on Wednesday.
King Kranz, by Munnings
Last 3 Beyers: 63-86-90
◗ After five losses to begin his career, blinkers moved him over the top when he won the Lost in the Fog Stakes by a length.
◗ Assistant trainer Tonja Terranova said that when it became evident that King Kranz wasn’t going to get a piece of the Withers, jockey Cornelio Velasquez wrapped up on him.