Chateau has no problems with Tom Fool Handicap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Even though there appeared to be plenty of horses with early speed in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct, Chateau's connections thought they had the fastest horse.

They were right. And, as is often the case, the fastest horse won.

Able to make the lead rather easily under Kendrick Carmouche, Chateau swept his competition off their feet to win the Tom Fool by 3 1/2 lengths over the late-running Wendell Fong.

It was 3 1/4 lengths back to the slow-starting Speed Pass in third. Pete’s Play Call was fourth followed by Happy Farm and Share the Ride.

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The win was the seventh from 33 starts for Chateau, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Michael Dubb and trained, since last year, by Rob Atras.

It was the second graded stakes win for Atras, his first coming in the Garde 3 Toboggan here in January with American Power, another talented sprinter.

When Chateau won an allowance race on Jan. 18, his final time of 1:10.44 was to that point the fastest six-furlong race of the meet.

Carmouche was aboard Chateau that day and knew what he was capable of when able to secure the early lead.

“I knew my horse had to be forwardly placed like always,” Carmouche said. “I figured him out last time and I knew this time Rob gave him enough time in between races where he could carry his speed a little longer. I just let him rip and roll, man, that’s what he loves to do.”

On a track that has been pretty slow, Chateau outsprinted Happy Farm to the lead and opened up a 1 1/2-length lead after an opening quarter in 22.81 seconds. Chateau opened up to a four-length lead after a half-mile in 46.18 seconds and he was never seriously threatened to the wire.

Chateau, a gelding by Flat Out, covered the six furlongs in 1:12.10, a pretty fast time for this track. He returned $9.60 as the fourth choice.

“I thought he was the speed of the speed, but I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task, I knew he was going to have to be really fast on the front end to do it,” Atras said. “Those are fast fractions because the track isn’t really that fast.”

Though the Tom Fool can be a prep for the Grade 1 Carter here on April 3, Atras was noncommittal about that race as it is at seven furlongs.

“Seven furlongs may be a little too far,” said Atras, who may have American Power for the Carter. “We’ll see how he comes out of the race.”

Natalia Lynch, the trainer of runner-up Wendell Fong, was pleased with her horse’s performance and indicated the Carter will be next.