Westchester next target for Salutos Amigos

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Salutos Amigos, the winner of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester Stakes going a one-turn mile on May 7 at Belmont Park, trainer and part-owner David Jacobson said.

The Westchester is the local prep for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap on the June 11 Belmont Stakes card. Jacobson said that running Salutos Amigos in the Westchester will give him the chance to evaluate how the horse handles the one-mile distance.

Salutos Amigos has made 24 consecutive starts at distances from six to seven furlongs. His last race at a mile was in February 2014, when he finished fifth in a starter allowance at Santa Anita.

Jacobson said that if Salutos Amigos doesn’t run well in the Westchester, “then I have enough time to run him back in sprints.”