Salutos Amigos, Dads Caps on collision course

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It appears that Salutos Amigos and Dads Caps will meet for the third time this winter in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct.

Salutos Amigos defeated Dads Caps at Aqueduct in both the Gravesend on Dec. 26 and the Grade 3 Toboggan on Feb. 7. It appeared both horses were going to skip the Tom Fool, with Salutos Amigos dealing with a foot issue and Dads Caps to await the April 4 Carter, a Grade 1 race he won last year.

On Monday, however, the connections of both horses said they planned to run in the Tom Fool, a six-furlong race that highlights the Gotham Stakes undercard.

Salutos Amigos worked three furlongs in 38.40 seconds Sunday morning at Aqueduct, according to trainer David Jacobson, though no official time was recorded by the track clockers.

“He breezed very well,” Jacobson said Monday. “Today, he’s real good, his feet are ice cold. All systems go.”

Jacobson is using the Tom Fool to decide whether to ship the horse to Dubai later in the month for the $2 million Golden Shaheen.

Dads Caps had a four-length lead in midstretch of the Toboggan only to get run down late by Salutos Amigos. Prior to that, Dads Caps finished third behind Salutos Amigos and Mewannarose in the Gravesend. Dads Caps has dropped seven straight races since his upset victory at 10-1 in last year’s Carter.

Owner Vincent Scuderi said Monday he initially was thinking of giving Dads Caps eight weeks between the Toboggan and the Carter, but now he wonders if that’s too much time between races.

“If I run in the Tom Fool I don’t think that precludes me from running in the Carter,” Scuderi said. “I think we’re going to give it a shot.”

Salutos Amigos was assigned high weight of 125 pounds, while Dads Caps was assigned 123 pounds for the Tom Fool. Others possible to run include Schivarelli (115), Maleeh (114) and Sonny Inspired (114). Trainer Ramon Preciado may run Bama Bound (114) or Dukati (111).