World of Trouble gets Grade 1 win in Carter

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Turf or dirt, it doesn’t really matter to World of Trouble who rallied to a popular half-length victory over a game Skylar’s Scramjet to register his first graded stakes win Saturday at Aqueduct in the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap.

With Manny Franco aboard, World of Trouble rated just off the early pace set by Skyler’s Scramjet while forced by the leader to race out near the middle of the racetrack in the run down the backstretch. Honor Up, racing near the inside, replaced his uncoupled mate Skyler’s Scramjet on the lead after the opening half. But World of Trouble readily moved to command three wide at the quarter pole and shook free before repulsing a resurgent Skyler’s Scramjet at the end. Honor Up weakened gradually through the final furlong to finish third. Both Skyler’s Scramjet and Honor Up are trained by Michelle Nevin.

Vino Rosso, the 5-2 second choice, raced within easy striking distance near the inside, dropped back into the stretch before rallying belatedly to finish fourth while never menacing the leaders. Life in Shambles, Sir Ballantine, and Identity Politics rounded out the complete order of finish.

World of Trouble, a 4-year-old son of Kantharos, is owned by the partnership of Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Madaket Stables and trained by Jason Servis. His best previous effort in a graded stakes on dirt came 13 months earlier when he finished a tiring third as the favorite in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.

World of Trouble covered seven furlongs over a fast strip in 1:23.28 and paid $3.70 as the favorite in a field of eight older runners.

“It was good. What can I say – he’s a running son of a gun,” said Servis. “He makes me look good. He can do dirt and turf. He never won a graded stakes, but he throws some big numbers, sheet numbers and Beyers, so I guess he should have been favored. I thought [Skyler’s Scramjet] was going to go, he’s a fast horse. But he came back on. I was getting a little nervous at the end.”

Servis said he was uncertain what would be next for World of Trouble, hinting that he could possibly go back to the grass in his next appearance before returning to the dirt later this season at Saratoga.