Newmarket, England: This New York based sprinter must be one of the big favourites for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on Saturday’s $30million (Dh110 million) Dubai World Cup card at Meydan Racecourse.
He won impressively at Aqueduct on March 7, taking his fourth straight win and his ninth overall, and he has solid form in top company.
Trained by David Jacobsen, a horseman who is showing a 24 per cent strike rate and is boasting an even better record in stakes races,
Salutos Amigos won the Tom Fool Handicap (G3) over six furlongs (1200 metres) with a strong performance. He had missed some training leading up to the event, and he was burdened with top weight, but overcame these circumstances without breaking too much sweat.
After racing with great zest in third spot until turning for home, he went smoothly past the second favourite Dads Caps at the finish and beat him by four lengths. Jockey Cornelious Velasquez never had to resort to the whip to get his mount into top flight.
Salutos Amigos won with plenty in hand, stopping the clocks in 1.09.6, a good time when it comes to winter racing around this track.
All of his four recent wins have come at Aqueduct, though a win in the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park, and a fine race in defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita, shows that he handles various tracks.
His win streak started three weeks after he had finished seventh, beaten just three lengths, to Work All Week at the Breeders’ Cup last November. Salutos Amigos came back home to carry a massive top weight to victory in the Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) – beating Mewannarose by almost two lengths while carrying nine pounds more than the runner-up.
Mewannarose was second again when Salutos Amigos followed up in the Gravesend Stakes during the Christmas racing at Aqueduct, and Dads Caps was second best as he took the Toboggan Stakes (G3) in January.
Salutos Amigos has thus been beating mainly the same rivals when enjoying such a fine winter in the Big Apple, but make no mistake about it, this is a highly efficient and classy sprinter. He comes to Dubai right at the top of his form.
— The author is the editor of globeform.co.uk a Newmarket-based independent racing and handicapping publication.
