Tom Fool has familiar look

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The familiar foes Salutos Amigos and Dads Caps renew acquaintances at Aqueduct on Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap, a race in which they finished one-two last year.

Salutos Amigos and Dads Caps were two of 11 horses entered Wednesday for the Tom Fool, including a trio of runners from the Chris Englehart stable.

In the winter of 2014-15, Salutos Amigos defeated Dads Caps three times in six-furlong stakes over the inner track. Salutos Amigos won the Gravesend, Toboggan, and Tom Fool, while Dads Caps finished third in the Gravesend and second in both the Toboggan and Tom Fool.

Salutos Amigos then went to Dubai, where he finished eighth in the Dubai Golden Shaheen last March. Meanwhile, Dads Caps won the Grade 1 Carter for a second consecutive year. He raced one more time before going to the sidelines.

More recently, Salutos Amigos was racing in Southern California, where he finished second in the Grade 3 Midnight Lute and Grade 2 Palos Verdes, both at Santa Anita. He was defeated by just a half-length in both races. Salutos Amigos could have run in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos at Santa Anita, but owners David Jacobson and Mike Moreno decided to ship him back to New York. Salutos Amigos worked a half-mile in 50.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Tuesday and flew across the country Wednesday.

“They got some nice horses out there, a couple of real tough ones that are going in the stakes,” Jacobson, who also trains Salutos Amigos, said Wednesday. “I discussed it with Mike Moreno, and we felt this would be an easier spot and might set us up for a couple of races down the road.”

Dads Caps, who finished third in the True North last June, returned from a seven-month layoff with a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Toboggan on Jan. 30.

“Looking at the race, it looked like he made a nice move, and he just flattened out at the eighth pole,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “Hopefully, that race moved him up. He’s an older horse; maybe he needed more racing.”

Salutos Amigos is the 122-pound highweight and will break from post 9 under Cornelio Velasquez, who is 5 for 9 aboard the gelding. Dads Caps, who carries 120 pounds, breaks from post 5 under Jose Ortiz.

Jacobson also entered Stallwalkin’ Dude, who received a small break following an 18-race campaign in 2015 that ended with a fifth-place finish to X Y Jet in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park.

Englehart entered the trio of Angry Moon, Nubin Ridge, and Mewannarose. Also entered were Always Sunshine, Alex the Terror, Loki’s Vengeance, Waco, and Spartiatis.