Salutos Amigos local hero in Carter Handicap
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Salutos Amigos ran two solid races, albeit in losing efforts, this winter in Southern California. When trainer David Jacobson shipped the gelding back to New York, Salutos Amigos returned to the winner’s circle in last month’s Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap.
Jacobson is hoping a home-court advantage can carry Salutos Amigos to his first Grade 1 victory when he takes on Southern California invader Calculator and six others in Saturday’s $400,000 Carter Handicap over Aqueduct’s main track. The Carter, at seven furlongs, is race 11 on a 12-race card and is the last leg of an all-graded-stakes pick four that begins with the eighth race.
Salutos Amigos is 4 for 4 over the Aqueduct inner track and 3 for 5 over the main track. After finishing fifth in last November’s Fall Highweight – a race he won the year before – Salutos Amigos headed to Southern California, where he finished second to San Onofre in the Grade 3 Midnight Lute and second to Kobe’s Back in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes.
On March 12, four days after returning from Southern California, Salutos Amigos rallied from last to win the Tom Fool.
“He came out of the race great,” Jacobson said. “He’s eating good, everything is good.”
Jacobson’s only worry is that he feels that Salutos Amigos is a better horse at six furlongs than seven, the distance of the Carter. Salutos Amigos is 2 for 7 at seven furlongs, one of those wins coming in an allowance race here.
“I wish the race was three-quarters,” he said. “Seven-eighth is a tricky distance.”
The seven furlongs is one reason Peter Miller opted to ship Calculator across the country for the Carter. The son of In Summation came off a 13-month layoff to win a first-level allowance race at Santa Anita on Feb. 13 at seven furlongs. He then finished third to Kobe’s Back in the Grade 2 San Carlos, where he was inhibited by a bad break.
Calculator, who gets six pounds from Salutos Amigos, drew post 7 in the eight-horse field.
Dads Caps, who has won the last two runnings of the Carter, seeks a three-peat. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez is removing blinkers, hoping to have the horse relax early. Rodriguez also sends out Sassicaia, the winner of the Grade 3 Toboggan in January.
Green Gratto, second at 54-1 in last year’s Carter, looms as the main speed, with Anchor Down pressing and Majestic Affair, second in the General George last out, likely sitting right off them.
KEY CONTENDERS
Calculator, by In Summation
Last 3 Beyers: 94-89-98
◗ Looks to be rounding into the form he showed last year at 3, when he won the Grade 3 Sham after twice finishing second to American Pharoah as a 2-year-old.
◗ Needs to break better than he has in his last two starts so that he doesn’t have so much to do late. Junior Alvarado rides for the first time.
Salutos Amigos, by Salute the Sarge
Last 3 Beyers: 104-100-98
◗ Broke a seven-race losing streak in the Tom Fool, a race he won for the second straight year.
◗ As the 123-pound highweight, he is spotting 5 to 9 pounds to the rest of the field.
Majestic Affair, by Majesticperfection
Last 3 Beyers: 101-101-93
◗ Defeated a head by Page McKenney in the General George while going seven furlongs at Laurel in February.
◗ Trainer Chad Brown believes Majestic Affair has stepped forward from ages 3 to 4.
“I think Majestic Affair is really peaking right now,” Brown said. “He’s a different horse than when he was younger. I see a higher-quality animal in front of me now.”