Salutos Amigos mows down rivals, repeats in Tom Fool

Salutos Amigos launched his rally off the far turn, closing dramatically down the middle of the Aqueduct inner track, and easily proved best for the second consecutive year in Saturday’s $200,000 Tom Fool H. (G3), scoring by 2 ½ lengths. Cornelio Velasquez was up on the 6-year-old gelding.

Favored at 7-5 among 11 runners, the winner completed 6-furlongs in 1:10.17.

Owned by trainer David Jacobson and Southern Equine Stable, Salutos Amigos notched his seventh stakes victory, five of them graded, and the classy sprinter is now 4-for-4 on Aqueduct’s inner track, increasing increased his career bankroll to $1,302,406 from a 37-11-5-4 record.

He was exiting a pair of narrow runner-up finishes in the Palos Verdes (G2) and Midnight Lute (G3) at Santa Anita this winter.

Salutos Amigos dropped to the tail of the field down the backstretch of the Tom Fool as Dads Caps sped forward at the start and reeled off splits of :22.36 and :44.99 while under pressure. Racing nearly 10 lengths back in ninth at the conclusion of the far turn, Salutus Amigos was carried widest of all into the stretch before coming with a rush.

Always Sunshine rallied well for runner-up honors at 9-1 odds, 1 ¾ lengths better than the forwardly-placed Stallwalkin’ Dude in third. Next under the wire came Mewannarose, Nubin Ridge, Spartiatis, Loki’s Vengeance, Angry Moon, Dads Caps, Alex the Terror and Waco.

Bred in Kentucky by Joan Hadley Thoroughbreds, Salutos Amigos is by Salute the Sarge and hails from the Luhuk mare Sarasota, a multiple group stakes winner in her native Argentina. She’s also the dam of Sarah’s Secret, winner of the 2011 Honeymoon (G2) at Hollywood Park.

Photo courtesy of Adam Coglianese Photography