Jacobson hoping for boost from Salutos Amigos

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It has not been a great summer in New York for David Jacobson. The leading trainer on the New York Racing Association circuit for the last three years, Jacobson endured a difficult Belmont spring-summer meet with just 16 wins and 21 seconds from 102 starters. Two summers ago, Jacobson won a record 44 races at the Belmont spring-summer stand.

He has not gotten off to a great start at Saratoga, going winless with his first 14 starters after running fourth and fifth in Wednesday’s second race.

“I don’t have the right horses for these races,” said Jacobson, who is tied for fourth in the Monmouth trainer standings. “Things are just not falling into place. Hopefully, we’ll snap out of it soon. Saratoga is a hard place to snap out of it.”

Jacobson will turn to his best horse to help him snap out of it when he runs Salutos Amigos in the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga on Saturday. But that is no easy spot either. Salutos Amigos will meet the red-hot Rock Fall and Grade 1 winner The Big Beast.

Salutos Amigos has gone 9 for 15 since coming to Jacobson’s barn in the late winter of 2014. He is coming off a 3 1/4-length victory in the Mr. Prospector Stakes at Monmouth, which was supposed to be a prep for the Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park a week later.

“He ended up running so fast I had to give him a little breather,” Jacobson said. “I really didn’t expect him to run that fast. I’m not disappointed that he did, but it wasn’t the kind of race off the bench to come back in seven days.”

Salutos Amigos drew post 2 and will carry the top weight of 122 pounds in the Vanderbilt. In addition to Rock Fall and The Big Beast, the Vanderbilt field includes Departing, Clearly Now, Viva Majorca, and Favorite Tale.