Mabou
photo by Adam Coglianese

When David Jacobson, a successful claiming trainer at Aqueduct Racetrack, haltered the steeplechaser Mabou out of a $30,000 optional claimer on August 4, it was the first time in at least five years anyone had claimed a horse out of a jumping race at Saratoga Race Course.

This afternoon, Jacobson went from the unusual to the unheard of, turning around to saddle Mabou to an incredible come-from-behind upset of the Grade 1, $100,000 New York Turf Writers’ Cup steeplechase.

The race not only marked Jacobson’s first starter in a steeplechase, it resulted in the 56-year-old trainer’s first-ever graded stakes win.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here,” said Jacobson, who owns a part of Mabou with Drawing Away Stable. “In the weeks after [the claim] I trained [Mabou] like I train and take care of all my horses, and he responded to it, obviously.”

With jockey Robert Walsh aboard, Mabou dropped to the back of the pack after taking the first jump poorly as Straight to It, part of the favored entry with Divine Fortune, took the lead. Jumping well thereafter, Mabou moved into contention on the final turn and went to the front after the final fence, pulling clear to hit the wire 5 ¾ lengths ahead of the well-regarded Irish import Dirar.

“He’s been running on the pace, and I told the jockey, ‘Let’s try taking him back,’” said Jacobson. “I didn’t want him as far back as he was, but I left it up to Robbie and Robbie did an amazing job judging the horse. He said he was relaxed and did whatever he asked him to.”

Sent off at 16-1, the second-longest shot in the field of nine, Mabou returned $35.20 for a $2 win bet and earned $60,000. An 8-year-old gelded son of Dynaformer, Mabou completed the 2 3/8 miles in 4:40.72 as he earned his 10th career victory from 33 starts.

Although he personally lacked experience with steeplechasers, Jacobson said his father, the late trainer Buddy Jacobson, was at one time the leading jumping trainer at the Spa during the 1960s.

“It goes back about [45] years to my father,” said Jacobson. “My father was very successful claiming jumpers here at Saratoga. I owe it all to him.”

Dirar, who held the lead briefly in the stretch, was two lengths head of Dynaski. Divine Fortune, who finished fourth, was disqualified to sixth after causing a chain reaction spill near the three-eighths pole involving Decoy Daddy, Sermon of Love and Straight to It, who all got up and walked off the course along with their jockeys.

Because of the disqualification, Nationbuilder was moved up to fourth and Sweet Shani to fifth.

Jacobson said he was not sure where Mabou would go from the Turf Writers’ Cup; the next Grade 1 steeplechase race is the $250,000 Grand National in Far Hills, N.J. on October 22.

“We’ll discuss his next start with the owners,” said Jacobson. “The horse will tell us what the next move is.”