Trainer Rob Atras boasts a 20-9-3-2 record at Aqueduct racetrack in March and he hopes to parlay such prosperity into April with likely stakes contenders Chateau and Maracuja for next Saturday's stakes-laden Wood Memorial Day program at the Ozone Park, N.Y., track.
“We've had a good March, I don't want it to end,” Atras said.
Atras, 37, saddled Michael Dubb's Chateau to a win in the Grade 3 Tom Fool last out on March 6 at the Big A and will take the next step up for Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap at seven furlongs.
The 6-year-old son of Flat Out broke alertly, commanded swift fractions up front, and was never in doubt in the stretch running home a 3 ½-length winner in the Tom Fool. The win produced a career-best 100 Beyer.
Chateau is in the best form of his 33-race career having finished in the money in his last six starts while boasting a 9-5-2-2 record over the Big A main track.
Having never won past 6 ½-furlongs, Atras said there is some concern with the extra furlong.
“He deserves a shot. His last race was a big performance,” Atras said. “We know he loves Aqueduct and seems to relish that surface. Obviously, there are distance questions but only time will tell with him.”
Beach Haven Thoroughbreds' Maracuja also will step up to the plate for Atras in the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle, a 100-40-20-10 qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs.
Third time was the charm for the daughter of third-crop sire Honor Code, who broke her maiden by 3 3/4-lengths on February 21 at Aqueduct over a good track. Trailing the compact field early on as the 4-5 favorite, Maracuja made a four-wide move approaching the top of the stretch and took command nearing the eighth-pole en route to a maiden victory.
Atras also expressed distance concerns with Maracuja, who will be running two turns for the first time in the nine-furlong Gazelle.
“She acts like two turns shouldn't be an issue but it's a big ask going from six and a half furlongs to a mile and an eighth and stepping up to a big race like this,” Atras said. “She's continued to train forwardly, and I think we're going to give it a shot. It's a really big step up. She's a nice filly and she won really professional last time. I would have liked to have had a prep going a mile or something heading into a two-turn race like the Gazelle.”
Atras said he would wait until after the Gazelle to determine the path that Maracuja would go down.
“She is really just race to race with her right now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. She's just learning things and putting it together,” Atras said.
Jockey Kendrick Carmouche retains the mount on both Chateau and Maracuja.
On Saturday, Atras enjoyed a victory with American Power in the seven-furlong Caixa Eletronica on New York Claiming Championship Day. The 6-year-old Power Broker chestnut battled with fellow stakes-winner Pete's Play Call but ultimately got the better of his foe, securing the win by one length.
Prior to Saturday's victory, American Power gave Atras his first graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Toboggan on January 30 at the Big A.
“He came out of his race really good. He ate everything up and jogged sound this morning, so everything is going well,” Atras said.
Atras said he would continue to space American Power's races out.
“He seems to do better with some space in between races so I'm not sure what we'll look at yet,” Atras said. “We'll mostly just go over him the next few days and then speak to [co-owner] Sandy Goldfarb and see which direction we'll go. I don't think he needs that much time, but with how everything worked out this ended up being the race that we pointed for.”
The post Atras Looking To Maintain Hot Streak With Chateau, Maracuja In Aqueduct Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
