Atreides overcomes shaky start to win Aventura

Atreides overcame a troubled start to remain unbeaten in four starts at Gulfstream Park by scoring a 4 1/2-length victory in Sunday’s $50,000 Aventura Handicap.

The one-mile race, Altreides’s first since his sixth-place finish as the even-money favorite in the Indiana Derby on Oct. 4, served as a prep for Grade 3 Hal’s Hope on Jan. 11.

The 2-5 favorite in a field of eight 3-year-olds, Atreides ($2.80) ran the mile in 1:37.20 as the 121-pound co-highweight. Dudeman held second, a neck in front of late-running Urban Cool.

“He had a tough break. They squeezed him pretty bad at the start,” said jockey Edgard Zayas, who rode three winners on Sunday’s card after winning two Claiming Crown stakes on Saturday. “I think he’s as good as he was. He just needed this race. He hadn’t run since Indiana and those trips are pretty tough for the horses. He came out of it good and for the next race, he’s going to keep getting better and better.”