Stallwalkin' Dude has much in his favor in Fall Highweight

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – David Jacobson didn’t have to look too far down the shed row to find a replacement for his Grade 1-winning sprinter Salutos Amigos.

Stallwalkin’ Dude, who hit a lull earlier this year, brings some of the best form of his career into Thursday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap, the featured event on Aqueduct’s nine-race Thanksgiving Day card. First post Thursday is 11:50 a.m. Eastern, and the card includes the $125,000 Gio Ponti Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf and the $100,000 Furlough Stakes for 2-year-old filly sprinters on dirt.

Jacobson won the 2014 Fall Highweight with Salutos Amigos, who earlier this year won the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct, but who has been sidelined since May and is expected to be cataloged for the Keeneland January sale.

Stallwalkin’ Dude is perhaps a notch below Salutos Amigos, but he enters this race off a win in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Belmont – his first graded win – which followed a good second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh on Oct. 1.

At Saratoga, he won the Tale of the Cat Stakes for a second consecutive year, rebounding from three subpar efforts.

“He got real good up there like a lot of horses who love it up there will do, and he’s been able to carry that form back down south,” said Jacobson, who trains Stallwalkin’ Dude and owns him with Head of Plains Partners.

Stallwalkin’ Dude is the 134-pound starting highweight Thursday. He breaks from the outside post in a nine-horse field.

“The best post I could have,” said Jacobson, who has Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride.

Weekend Hideaway, who at 130 pounds is the co-second highweight, was expected to start in Wednesday night’s $200,000 Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National. Ready for Rye, the other horse assigned 130 pounds, returns to dirt after finishing fifth in the Belmont Turf Sprint. His last dirt win came in the off-the-turf Allied Forces at Belmont in fall 2015.

There appears to be ample speed in the Fall Highweight, with Angry Moon, The Great War, and Green Gratto all likely to be forwardly placed. Last year, Green Gratto pulled off a 24-1 upset in the Fall Highweight.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez entered the uncoupled duo of All Star Red and Heaven’s Runway. Spartiatis, who gets 12 pounds from Stallwalkin’ Dude, completes the field.

Post time for the Fall Highweight is 3:20 p.m.

KEY CONTENDERS

Stallwalkin’ Dude, by City Place

Last 3 Beyers: 101-103-98

◗ Should be able to work out an outside stalking trip in a race that has several early speed types.

◗ As the 134-pound highweight, he is conceding 4 to 12 pounds to the rest of the field.

“I’m happy about the high weight because somebody thinks he’s the best horse,” Jacobson said.

Angry Moon, by Langfuhr

Last 3 Beyers: 102-96-93

◗ He has won two consecutive sprints in front-running fashion and is coming off a career-best Beyer Speed Figure.

◗ He is trained by Chris Englehart, who saddled 20-1 shot Mewannarose to a second-place finish behind Salutos Amigos in 2014 Fall Highweight.

All Star Red, by Five Star Day

Last 3 Beyers: 95-82-96

◗ Finished third behind Angry Moon in an Oct. 27 allowance race in which he was bumped late by the second-place finisher, but a claim of foul by the trainer was disallowed.

◗ His lone win from eight starts this year came over Aqueduct’s main track.