Trainer Ollie Figgins planning for New York string

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Ollie Figgins III, the Mid-Atlantic-based trainer who has runners in both of this weekend’s New York Stallion Series stakes at Aqueduct, will have a string of approximately 10 horses in New York for the winter.

“Just trying to get my foot in the door and see how we fare,” Figgins said.

Figgins is scheduled to run Miss Hot Stones in Saturday’s $150,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series for 2-year-old fillies and Stoney Bennett in Sunday’s $150,000 Great White Way division of the Stallion Series for 2-year-old males Sunday. Both are top contenders in their respective races.

Both horses are owned and bred by Roddy Valente, who campaigned and stands the stallion Bustin Stones, the sire of both of Figgins’s stakes runners. Valente said he first started with Figgins late last year, and the two teamed to win four races from eight starters with two seconds at Laurel last winter.

“I’ve been happy with his work,” Valente said. “He’s a good guy, easy to deal with so why not? I have a bunch of 2-year-olds coming up, he’s done well with the two I gave him. I’m very happy.”

On the recommendation of Valente, Figgins shipped in both of his New York stakes runners to Aqueduct from Laurel in time to get a work over the track.

“I don’t want to get beat a head and then question shipping a 2-year-old the day of the race,” Valente said.

Valente said he would not take horses away from other trainers to give to Figgins. Valente has had a long-standing relationship with trainer Bruce Levine and that will continue.