Phileas Fogg powered home under rain clouds to win the $150,000 Excelsior Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths on Saturday at Aqueduct. The 5-year-old gelding had never previously run 1 1/4 miles on dirt, but trainer Gustavo Rodriguez never doubted that he would have the stamina to match his speed on a Aqueduct surface listed as fast. “I told everybody that asked me what I thought and I said, ‘We are coming into the race as good as we can,’ ” Rodriguez said. “I told my owner, this horse is good on the slop and is good on the fast track, too. He’s a nice horse."  Rodriguez suspected that his gelding might have trouble out of the gate with 5-year-old horse Mama’s Gold gunning for the front outside of him. Both horses flew out of the gate, but Romero Maragh and Mama’s Gold would not be denied and took a six-length early lead. He blasted through the opening quarter-mile in 22.88 seconds. Sitting behind an early leader for the first time in nearly a year, Phileas Fogg ($15.20) gradually reeled-in the front-running Mama's Gold and unleashed a furious bid on the turn. He was already seven lengths ahead by the time he hit the stretch and remained clear all the way to the wire, finishing in 2:01.69. Carmouche said that the race went exactly to plan. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I knew that [Mama’s Gold] is a one-trick pony and goes to the lead every time,” Carmouche said. “He had to come back, that’s the way I looked at it. This is the first time [Phileas Fogg] really came off the pace to win, so we know that now.” The Excelsior marked the 4,001st victory of Carmouche’s career and his fourth on the Saturday card. With Rodriguez’s family waiting for him in a damp winner’s circle, owner Steve Shapiro ended the trainer’s post-race interview early and stepped into the circle himself. The head of Jupiter Stable LLC said that he was proud of his trainer and implored other horsemen to give him more opportunities. “I've had seven trainers in my life, including two Hall of Famers. This guy is as good as any of them,” Shapiro said. “He gets respect from the vets, the best blacksmiths, the best help. He works seven days a week. He is at the barn at 5 a.m. and he could use a few more horses. He’s training 15 right now and I highly recommend him. Give him a call. He’s in barn 15 at Belmont." Shapiro also said that his long-term goal this season was to have Phileas Fogg prepared for the Grade 2 Suburban on July 4. His schedule between now and then is subject to change. Classic Catch, a 5-year-old horse trained by Todd Pletcher, seemed to relish the distance, finishing as the 11-1 runner-up without coming close to the winner. Trainer Rick Dutrow said that he would scratch Masmak on a wet track but ultimately kept him in. He seemed to get caught on an evolving surface in the rain, but the 4-year-old colt still finished third as the beaten 2-1 favorite. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.