Belmont Park: Jacobson sets record for wins at spring-summer meet

David Jacobson’s domination at this meet hit record-setting status Sunday, when Abra won the sixth race by 10 lengths, enabling Jacobson to set a record for the most wins at a Belmont spring-summer stand.

Abra’s front-running score was the 41st victory of the meet for Jacobson, eclipsing the mark of 40 wins set by Todd Pletcher at the 2003 spring-summer meeting. There still are four racing days remaining before the action on this circuit moves to Saratoga beginning July 19.

“It’s very rewarding, it’s amazing, all the above, and everything I didn’t say,” said Jacobson, who earlier on the card tied the record when Dust Em Mick rallied from off the pace to win the fourth.

Abra was a much easier winner, dropping down from the $35,000 claiming ranks to $16,000 and winning easily under David Cohen. Abra, like many of Jacobson’s horses this summer, was claimed, this time by Linda Rice. Jacobson did claim Praetereo, the winner of the seventh, for $62,500.

Jacobson did not win with his other two runners on Sunday’s card, Socialsaul (fifth in race 7) and Liquidity Trap (second in race 8). Jacobson, with 41 wins at the meet from 156 starters, will win his first Belmont spring-meet title. He leads Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher by 18 wins.

“When you come into a meet, you hope to win a lot of races, as many as you can, but this exceeded my expectations,” Jacobson said. “With the kind of horses I have competing against Pletcher, [Bill] Mott, [Christophe] Clement, and Chad Brown, it’s really something special when you pull this off.”

Jacobson found it gratifying that he also ranks in the top three in purse money won at the meet with $1,559,516.

“I’ve been running the horses aggressively, running them in the right spots,” Jacobson said. “My owners are happy, the riders are happy – they’re on live horses – and I’m happy.”

Jacobson’s barn at Aqueduct has been under 24-hour surveillance since late May following a four-win day at Belmont.