Despite having never faced graded rivals before, Skyler’s Scramjet was sent off the 5-2 favorite against eight rivals on Saturday in the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (G3) and pulled off an easy 1 1/2-length win under jockey Trevor McCarthy.
The duo tracked the pacesetting Green Gratto through opening fractions of :22.47 and :46.55 before ranging up to take command rounding the turn. Skyler’s Scramjet drew off to be four lengths clear in the lane before being geared down to cross under the line in a final time of 1:11.38 for six furlongs over Aqueduct’s fast main track.
Do Share rallied from last to take second, three lengths up on Great Stuff in third. Life in Shambles followed in fourth by another three parts of a length while completing the order under the wire were Classy Class, Spartiatis, Threefiveindia, Candid Desire and Green Gratto.
Campaigned by SJB Stable and Marcello Micozzi, Skyler’s Scramjet easily captured his graded bow in this spot to improve his record to 10-5-0-0, $292,872. The four-year-old gelded son of Creative Cause broke his maiden in his first outing in November 2016 at Aqueduct for trainer Michelle Nevin, then proceeded to be beat by double-digit lengths in his next four starts while under the tutelage of Michael Mareina.
One of those came in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, which is Skyler’s Scramjet’s only other stakes try. He showed back up with Nevin last September at Belmont Park and immediately captured an allowance by a length. Following a fifth in an allowance/optional claimer at Aqueduct two months later, Skyler’s Scramjet entered this one off a two-race win streak.
Bred in Kentucky by Tommy G. Ligon, Skyler’s Scramjet is out of the Grade 3-placed stakes-winning Phone Trick mare Abundantly Blessed, making him a half-brother to multiple stakes scorers Heaven on Hold and Arcadian.
TOM FOOL QUOTES
Trevor McCarthy, jockey Skyler’s Scramjet, winner
“I kind of just left him out there, and I knew what Green Gratto wanted to do, so I wasn’t really going to go out of my way to really chase him or anything like that ,so I just got him to relax and when he made that move, and he opened up a couple turning for home. I was like ‘wow, they’re really going to have to catch him,’ so I was really impressed by him.”
Michelle Nevin, trainer Skyler’s Scramjet, winner
“Trevor did a great job. Smart move just sitting off that horse (Green Gratto). He had plenty horse when he asked him in the upper stretch to finish. We’ll see how he comes out of this race and from there decide where we go next. He certainly ran huge today, so that’s encouraging.”
Linda Rice, trainer Do Share, second
“He was pretty far back early, but he seems like as he’s getting older that he wants to lay back and make a big run. I was concerned he wasn’t going to get there but he put in a good effort. Looking forward, the ($400,000) Carter ([G1] on April 7) is seven furlongs, and it’s right here in our home court so I think it makes sense.”
