Salutos Amigos Extends Win Streak in Tom Fool
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Despite missing several days of training due to inclement weather, Salutos Amigos put to rest any notions of vulnerability with a dazzling performance to capture Saturday's 40th running of the $200,000 Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack, his fourth straight stakes win.
Breaking alertly from the gate, Salutos Amigos was quickly settled and content to run third under jockey Cornelio Velasquez stalking front-runners Green Gratto and Dads Caps who set early fractions of 23.48 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 46.24 for the half.
Tipped to the outside at the quarter-pole, Salutos Amigos blew past Dads Caps in the upper stretch, drawing clear by four lengths and completing the six furlongs in 1:09.61.
"My horse broke on top, and if I let him go he could have gone wire to wire," said Velasquez. "I wanted to cover him up behind horses because he is more relaxed. At the top of the stretch, when I put him in the clear, I had a lot of horse. He won easy today. It was an easy race for him."
The victory was the second graded stakes win of the year for Salutos Amigos following his triumph in the Grade 3 Toboggan on February 7. The 3-5 post-time favorite, the son of Salute the Sarge returned $3.20 for a $2 wager and boosted his career earnings to $897,406 for trainer David Jacobson and co-owners Southern Equine Stable.
"This is a special race," said Jacobson. "Very impressive, with all the training that he missed, and to run the way he did. Dads Caps really looked great in the paddock, I was worried after I saw him. We'll see where we go from here. We were really concentrating on this race, and now that we have this one behind us now I will take [Dubai] a lot more serious. After today, he proved that he is a special horse."
Following runner up Dads Caps were Green Gratto, Maleeh, West Hills Giant, Sony Inspired, and Elevated.
Shayjolie collars the field in Cat Cay, gives Russell career win No. 1,000
After knocking at the door to prove worthy of stakes contention, Shayjolie put away her naysayers and five rivals to win the second running of the $100,000 Cat Cay Stakes on the Gotham undercard at Aqueduct Racetrack, giving jockey Sheldon Russell his 1,000th career win.
Shayjolie was looking for redemption coming into the Cat Cay after a disappointing run in the Maryland Racing Media Stakes on February 14 at Laurel Park. The daughter of Indian Charlie went four wide into the stretch to tackle the leaders but could not sustain her rally and finished a distant sixth, seven lengths behind the winner Lunar Surge.
Coming into the Cat Cay, trainer Gary Contessa had his doubts about running.
"Honestly, I was not going to run her this month. But just like in any sport, you can call an audible at any time," said Contessa. "I saw how this race was shaping up, and I thought, 'I need to be in it. She needs to be a stakes winner.' She's got a great pedigree, she's by Indian Charlie, and she wants to be a good horse. That could very well happen. She's knocked at the door in some very big races. Maybe this could be her year."
Breaking well from post position 2, Shayjolie quickly settled in behind front-running Holiday's Jewel as she took the field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.75 seconds and a half in 48.89. Nudged into contention on the turn, Shayjolie straightened for home alongside the front-runner and edged ahead in the final furlong to win by three-quarters of a length.
"I got a really great trip. She has very good speed out of the gate, so I was able to get good position," said Russell "She was smooth the whole way around; I had to move a little bit early when [Storied Lady] came to me on my outside, but she was always traveling well. Obviously, she likes this track a lot. It was a great trip, and a nice horse to get my 1,000th win on. I know [her connections] were very confident going into the race, I'm just glad she ran up to expectations."
Shayjolie completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:47:19 over a muddy inner track. She returned $6.90 for her win and enhanced her bankroll to $309,943 for owner Sean Shay.
Rounding out the field behind Holiday's Jewel were Storied Lady, Evening Show, Wraith and Mylitta.
Source: NYRA Communications
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