Salutos Amigos possible for Dubai Golden Shaheen

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – From the inner dirt to the desert?

Salutos Amigos, who ended his 2014 campaign with three stakes wins in his last four starts, is under consideration for the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, a dirt race at about six furlongs on the undercard of the Dubai World Cup on March 28 at Meydan, according to trainer and part-owner David Jacobson.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Jacobson, who owns Salutos Amigos in partnership with Mike Moreno’s Southern Equine Stable. “Both Mike and myself would really look forward to running. The way he ran the other day, he definitely fits.”

Jacobson was referring to last Friday’s $98,000 Gravesend Stakes at Aqueduct, where Salutos Amigos won by 2 1/2 lengths. He ran six furlongs in 1:09.51 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 108. He has earned triple-digit Beyers in five of his last six starts.

It was the third stakes win from his last four starts for Salutos Amigos, who went 6 for 14 in 2014 after winning just once in his first 11 career starts. Salutos Amigos won the Bold Ruler and Fall Highweight – both Grade 3 stakes – during the fall. His only loss in the last nine weeks came in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, where he finished seventh, beaten just three lengths by Work All Week. That race came a week after he ran in the Bold Ruler.

Jacobson said he needs to do more research into the Dubai race as far as the possible competition and travel arrangements.

Also, Jacobson said he would want to run Salutos Amigos once in February – in either the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan at Aqueduct on Feb. 7 or the Grade 3, $250,000 General George Handicap at Laurel Park on Feb. 16 – before finalizing a trip to Dubai.

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