Tom Fool no easy spot for Salutos Amigos
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Salutos Amigos has done his best work over Aqueduct’s inner track, recording his three highest Beyer Speed Figures while winning all three of his starts on that surface. Salutos Amigos will have to be at his very best Saturday to repeat in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap, which attracted a solid field of 11 older male sprinters.
Among the 10 challengers looking to dethrone Salutos Amigos are Stallwalkin’ Dude, a stablemate of Salutos Amigos; familiar rival Dads Caps; and a trio of horses from trainer Chris Englehart – Angry Moon, Nubin Ridge, and Mewannarose.
Since winning the Tom Fool last year by four lengths over Dads Caps, Salutos Amigos has gone just 1 for 9, traveling to Dubai, Keeneland, and, most recently, Southern California, where he finished second in both the Grade 2 Palos Verdes (to Kobe’s Back) and the Grade 3 Midnight Lute (to San Onofre).
“Two very good races,” said David Jacobson, the trainer and part-owner of Salutos Amigos. “Two nice horses beat him, and he ran really well.”
Stallwalkin’ Dude received a brief freshening after a 2015 campaign that saw him go 7 for 18.
“There was no reason to stop on him except to give him a breather,” Jacobson said.
Englehart has won 8 of the last 20 races (25 starters) he’s participated in at Aqueduct. That includes a sharp allowance win Feb. 28 by Angry Moon, who figures to be part of the early pace along with Waco.
KEY CONTENDERS
Salutos Amigos, by Salute the Sarge
Last 3 Beyers: 100-98-97
◗ Ran well in two starts in California but has not shown the same acceleration he did last year in winning three stakes over the inner track.
◗ Reunited with Cornelio Velasquez, who is 5 for 8 on the gelding, including a win in this race last year.
Dads Caps, by Discreet Cat
Last 3 Beyers: 76-99-102
◗ Came off a seven-month layoff with a seventh-place in the Grade 3 Toboggan.
“He didn’t run the way we expected, that’s for sure, but he’s training very good,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “We breezed him the other day, and he went nice. He’s ready to go.”
◗ Has finished second in this race the last two years.
Mewannarose, by Bwana Charlie
Last 3 Beyers: 89-97-89
◗ Though he has not won since May 2014, he finished second to Salutos Amigos in the 2014 Fall Highweight at 20-1 and second to Sassicaia in the 2016 Toboggan at 46-1. Most recently, he finished third behind Tom Fool runners Alex the Terror and Nubin Ridge in a high-priced optional claimer Feb. 25.
“He’s a funny horse,” Englehart said. “He’s got a lot of speed, but if he uses it too early, he won’t finish real strong. That’s what happened last time. If he can relax a little without the rider having to yank on him down the backside, he’ll finish.”
◗ Chris DeCarlo rides from post 7.
Always Sunshine, by West Acre
Last 3 Beyers: 96-87-75
◗ Lightly raced colt makes his 4-year-old debut after ending last year with two straight wins, including a 1 3/4-length score in the Dave’s Friend Stakes at Laurel on Dec. 26.
◗ Trainer Ned Allard is 1 for 26 in stakes at Aqueduct, the win coming with Ask Shananie in the 1994 Busanda Stakes.