Trainer Atras goes 4 for 4 on Aqueduct's Sunday card

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After finishing second with 10 of his first 26 starters at Aqueduct’s winter meet, trainer Rob Atras enjoyed a frustration-free Sunday by sending out four winners from as many starters on the 10-race card.

Atras won the first with the 3-year-old maiden filly Balpool ($9.50), the fourth with Jake Rocks ($7.40), the fifth with Cool Quartet ($5.30) and the eighth with Funny Joke ($3.20).

The four-win day moved Atras into second place in the trainer standings with 10 wins, six behind Linda Rice. Atras previously won four races on a card at Aqueduct on March 13, 2021, when he went 4 for 5.

“This is really special,” Atras said. “We’ve been knocking on the door, horses have been running good, getting seconds, getting beat at the wire. I always say you never complain about seconds because then they’ll start running third and fourth. You take what you get.

“We weren’t frustrated, but we thought we could win and today we had horses in good spots,” Atras added.

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Balpool, a 3-year-old daughter of Uncaptured owned by Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, finished fourth in her debut going six furlongs. On Sunday she stretched out to a mile and won a stretch-long battle by a nose over favored Check Engine Light.

“We did think she’d like going farther, the track seemed a little demanding today, she got a little tired but Manny [Franco] really carried her home today,” Atras said.

In race 4, Jake Rocks won a starter allowance by three-quarters of a length for his third consecutive victory. Cool Quartet, dropping down from the $20,000 claiming level, won a $12,500 claimer by 5 3/4 lengths. Both horses were owned by Windylea Farm - the leading owner at the meet with six wins - though Cool Quartet was claimed by trainer Orlando Noda

Funny Joke, dropping from the $50,000 claiming ranks for owner Michael Dubb, won a $30,000 claimer and was claimed by Rice.

Atras has only three runners entered the next two racing dates at Aqueduct with Winning Drive dropping down to the $12,500 level on Thursday and Musical Heart, in a $32,000 claimer, and Chateau in for the optional claiming price of $62,000 on Friday.

Meanwhile, Atras is still pointing Queens County Stakes winner Law Professor to the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 18. Law Professor was scheduled to work Monday at Belmont Park and is tentatively booked on a Feb. 12 flight.

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