Stallwalkin' Dude ready to leave for his Dubai adventure

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Two years after Salutos Amigos finished eighth in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan, trainer and co-owner David Jacobson is game for another try in that race with Stallwalkin’ Dude.

On Monday, Stallwalkin’ Dude completed his local preparation for the March 25 race with a three-furlong move in 39.45 seconds over Belmont Park’s training track. It was just another in a series of three-furlong moves that Jacobson gives Stallwalkin’ Dude every four days.

Stallwalkin’ Dude was expected to ship to Dubai from Newark, N.J. – via Florida – on Tuesday, but those plans were likely to change due to a nor’easter that was forecast to bring more than a foot of snow to New York. More likely, Stallwalkin’ Dude – and Imperial Hint, who beat Stallwalkin’ Dude in the Grade 3 General George at Laurel – will leave Wednesday from John F. Kennedy airport in New York and stop in Amsterdam before moving on to Dubai.

Jacobson wasn’t too worried about the delay. He’s more concerned about the drastic climate change his horse will experience.

“It’s so cold here, and he’s going to be going out to the middle of the desert,” said Jacobson, who owns Stallwalkin’ Dude with Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners. “I don’t mind going from hot to cold. Going from cold to hot, I haven’t had the best experiences with that.”

Jacobson didn’t have the best experience when Salutos Amigos raced in the 2015 Golden Shaheen. Jacobson felt the horse had a big chance to win, but a physical issue cropped up in the days leading up to the race.

“He had a small abscess on his throat that caused him to develop a cough,” Jacobson said. “He wasn’t 100 percent. It had nothing to do with the traveling or Dubai or anything like that.”

Stallwalkin’ Dude had a solid 2016 campaign, with four wins, including the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park. He has lost three of his last four starts, but he hardly ran poorly in any of them.

Last Thanksgiving, he was beaten a neck by Heaven’s Runway in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct, where Stallwalkin’ Dude was spotting the winner 11 pounds. After winning the Gravesend on Dec. 18 at Aqueduct, Stallwalkin’ Dude steadied entering the turn in the Grade 3 Toboggan when third, beaten a neck. In the General George, he finished second behind a loose-on-the-lead Imperial Hint.

“I don’t like finding excuses as to why my horses lose,” Jacobson said. “I do know that he’s doing great, and those races came up to be legitimate races.”

Jacobson has not yet finalized a rider for Stallwalkin’ Dude. Irad Ortiz Jr., who has ridden Stallwalkin’ Dude in his last seven starts, is not expected to travel to Dubai, but American riders Florent Geroux, Flavien Prat, and Mike Smith will be there.