Captain Serious Hangs Tough in Hollie Hughes
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Favorite Captain Serious held off several late challengers to win the $100,000 Hollie Hughes Stakes for New York-breds Jan. 18 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
With Jose Ortiz aboard, the 4-year-old Successful Appeal gelding won by three-quarters of a length from 19-1 shot Crafty Dreamer, with I'm Stoked a head back in third and Geaux Mets another head back in fourth in the six-horse field.
Captain Serious broke from the outside post and raced in second, just outside stablemate I'm Stoked, who led through an opening quarter-mile in :23.15, with the half going in :46.34. Sweeping wide on the turn and into the stretch, Captain Serious took a clear lead but was confronted again by Crafty Dreamer, I'm Stoked, and Geaux Mets before digging down and holding on for the victory.
"We had a perfect post; I knew I'm Stoked was going to go (to the front)," said Ortiz. "I broke good, sat, and everything went perfect. I was pretty confident in the horse when he got that post. He's so game, and he was ready for today."
Captain Serious' time for the six furlongs over a sloppy inner track was 1:10.70.
"I think he was waiting on horses once he got the lead," said winning trainer Mike Hushion, who has now taken six editions of the Hollie Hughes: 1998 (Thepromonroe), 2003-05 (Papua), and 2010 (Rereadthefootnotes). "It was good to see him back in the winner's circle."
The Hollie Hughes marked the first victory in nearly nine months for Captain Serious, who opened his career with three straight wins, including the restricted Mike Lee Stakes, before finishing second in the Dwyer (gr. III) and third in the Amsterdam (gr. II), and closed out his 3-year-old campaign with a record of 3-1-3 from nine starts. In his previous outing, he was third in the Fall Highweight Handicap (gr. III) Nov. 27 at Aqueduct.
As the 3-2 favorite, Captain Serious returned $5.30 and earned $60,000 for his owner and breeder Barry K. Schwartz, who bred him in the name of his Stonewall Farm. His dam is the Mr. Greeley mare Madame Diva. His lifetime bankroll stands at 3$20,200.