Stallwalkin' Dude rewards trainer's decision with Fall Highweight win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - David Jacobson made all the right decisions regarding who to run in two sprint stakes contested over a 24-hour period.

Stallwalkin’ Dude, scratched by Jacobson from Wednesday night’s $200,000 Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National, split horses in midstretch and edged clear late to win Thursday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths over Threefiveinida. It was a neck back to Life in Shambles in third. Ready for Rye, Great Stuff, Green Gratto and Hey Jabber Jaw completed the order of finish.

Though Jacobson scratched Stallwalkin’ Dude from the Fabulous Strike, he still won that race anyway with Chief Lion.

“There was a lot of discussion between me and my staff to really figure this out and we came up with the right decision,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson said the rail draw for Stallwalkin' Dude in the Fabulous Strike was a key factor in his deciding to keep Stallwalkin’ Dude in New York. Jacobson noted that Stallwalkin’ Dude often loses position early when he breaks from the rail.

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In the Fall Highweight, Stallwalkin’ Dude broke from post 3 under Joel Rosario and highweight of 134 pounds. Stallwalkin’ Dude was last early as Green Gratto and Hey Jabber Jaw sparred through a quarter of 22.21 seconds and a half-mile in 45.84.

Approaching the top of the stretch, Rosario had moved Stallwalkin’ Dude closer to the pack, but needed some place to run. Stallwalkin’ Dude had his head cocked as he rallied inside of Life in Shambles and outside of Ready for Rye, who had a slight lead at the eighth pole. Ready for Rye gave up that lead to Threefiveindia on the inside, but it was Stallwalkin’ Dude who kept coming on the outside to get the victory.

Stallwalkin’ Dude covered the six furlongs in 1:11.11 and returned $4.20 to win as the even-money favorite.

For Stallwalkin’ Dude, the Fall Highweight was his 20th career victory from 59 starts and helped avenge a neck loss in this race last year. It was his second career graded stakes victory. He won the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in 2016. The 7-year-old gelding by City Place has now earned $1,688,852.

Jacobson, who co-owns Stallwalkin’ Dude with Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners, said the only thing he worries about with the gelding is making the lead too soon.

“He gets to the front, he gets to looking around, waiting for everybody,” Jacobson said.

Rosario said he was cognizant of that.

“By the eighth pole it looked like I got everybody, I was just sitting there and I knew when he makes the lead he kind of waits a little bit,” Rosario said.

Stallwalkin’ Dude will spend the winter in New York. The next possible spot for him could be the $100,000 Gravesend - a race he won last year - on Dec. 23.