Jacobson winning but not like the old days

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer David Jacobson, five months into a return from a four-year layoff, is finding success harder to come by than he perhaps thought he might.

Jacobson, who led all trainers on this circuit in wins in 2013-14, has won six races from 34 starters at Aqueduct going back to Nov. 4. Jacobson returned to training in August after walking away from the game in 2018 and then enduring severe illness in 2019-20.

“When I was watching a year ago from the sidelines, the races appeared to be very weak, a lot of low Beyer numbers, small fields,” said Jacobson, before acknowledging racing department heads Frank Gabriel and Keith Doleshel “are putting together some nice things.”

On Friday, Jacobson has two starters in a very competitive first-level allowance sprint for males that serves as the featured and final race on Aqueduct’s eight-race card.

Jacobson has the coupled entry of Handsome Cat and Zertz in a field of 12 entered for the 6 1/2-furlong race.

Handsome Cat, claimed for $40,00 out of a race at Los Alamito in September, beat Zertz a head in an allowance at Penn National on Nov. 8. Handsome Cat, a California-bred son of Square Eddie, came back to run a close third, beaten three-quarters of a length, in this same condition going six furlongs here on Dec. 18.

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“I thought he ran good and he just got beat. That was a tough race and he ran well,” Jacobson said. “Javier [Castellano] saved a lot of ground, was down on the inside. Was that the best part of the track? I don’t know, but I’ll always take inside over the outside any day – the shortest way home.”

Jacobson said with Handsome Cat’s off-the-pace style, he likes the extra half-furlong of Friday’s race. Kendrick Carmouche rides.

Conversely, Jacobson said he is worried about the extra half-furlong for Zertz, who he claimed out of that Nov. 8 race for $25,000. Jacobson said Zertz, a fixture on the Penn National circuit, caught his eye numerous times when he would run other horses there.

“I got a few good looks at him, he looked like a nice horse,” Jacobson said. “We hoped to run him back at Penn National one time but the races didn’t fall right. I think he’s good enough to compete in New York.

Seven-pound apprentice Jason Huayas, who won four races here last week – including one for Jacobson – has the call from post 3.

Jacobson’s entry will have to contend with the likes of King Angelo, Midlaner, and the once-promising Shipsational.

King Angelo, trained by Jorge Abreu, has recorded all three of his wins on turf, but has three seconds in as many tries on dirt. Last out, he finished second to the repeating winner Sheriff Bianco in the mud in this condition.

Midlaner has two wins and two seconds – all at Parx – since being claimed for $16,000 by Michael Moore.

At this time last year, Shipsational was in Tampa attempting to get on the Triple Crown trail. An injury derailed him after a third in the Tampa Bay Derby and he just hasn’t seemed to come back near the horse he was then. Trainer Eddie Barker is adding blinkers to Shipsational’s equipment.

Jacobson eyes two stakes

Jacobson, who on Wednesday said he had 24 horses in training, is eyeing two upcoming stakes.

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He plans to run Self Isolation in the $100,000 Interborough on Jan. 21 and Synthesis in the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes on Jan. 28.

Self Isolation, a 5-year-old daughter of Square Eddie, had won three straight races – two for Jacobson – before finishing last of 10 in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on Dec. 3.

That race was her third in five weeks.

“She had an off day,” Jacobson said. “I might have run her back a little quick. We gave her time, backed off, and now she’s doing great.”

On Wednesday, Self Isolation worked a half-mile in 52.80 seconds over the Belmont training track.

Synthesis bounced back from a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight on Nov. 26 with a third-level allowance win on Dec. 9.

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