Jacobson goes back to well

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – David Jacobson’s three-win afternoon Sunday at Aqueduct was reminiscent of a time not too long ago when that was not an uncommon occurrence.

Jacobson was the leading trainer on the New York Racing Association circuit from 2012-14 in large part due to his association with Drawing Away Stable, a partnership that dealt with a large volume of horses with a high turnover of stock. The Jacobson-Drawing Away business relationship ended in spring 2015.

Since then, Jacobson has tried to revive the Drawing Away business model with a new outfit, Final Turn Racing Stables, headed by managing partner James Costabile Jr. Jacobson met Costabile through Costabile’s uncle Tony, who runs a horse transportation service.

The Final Turn business model is similar to that of Drawing Away. Investors in the partnership make a one-time payment and get a certain percentage of each horse. Jacobson, who is also an investor in each horse, gets a larger percentage of the purse winnings, which he uses to pay for the horse’s care.

“It’s a great model, it’s fun,” Jacobson said. “It’s a way to get more people involved in the game. By us paying the expenses on the horse, that takes away a lot of the exposure. It’s a one-time investment – that’s your exposure. If you put up $5,000, that’s it. It’s not $5,000 and then I’m calling up every month.”

Costabile said he and his partners like that Jacobson has “multiple vested interests” in each horse. “We love the fact David’s open and willing to come in,” Costabile added.

One of the differences between Drawing Away and Final Turn is that Costabile and Jacobson will combine to match the investments made by the other partners. If they collect $50,000 from investors, Costabile and Jacobson will combine to put up another $50,000.

“We’ve got a larger set of capital to work with,” said Costabile, 36, whose primary business is as a private wealth adviser with Intellectual Capital Group.

Costabile said that Final Turn is also a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House charity for families with sick children. Costabile and Jacobson plan to donate a percentage of the stable’s winnings to the organization, and they also hold a 200-person fundraiser for it.

The Final Turn-Jacobson partnership actually began in 2015, but it slowed in 2016. In the first year, Final Turn and Jacobson claimed Joe Franklin for $50,000. After winning two allowance races with him, they ran Joe Franklin in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, where he finished 11th. Joe Franklin most recently ran for $16,000 with trainer Jorge Navarro but is back with Jacobson.

From Nov. 4 through Jan. 15, Jacobson has claimed at least nine horses for Final Turn. Six of them have since been claimed from them, including Police Escort, who won last Saturday at Aqueduct. Two have not yet run back. Jet Majesty, claimed for $40,000 in December, ran third in the Ladies Handicap on Jan. 7 and is nominated to Saturday’s $100,000 Broadway Stakes.

One of Final Turn’s better claims has been Eighty Three. Taken for $40,000 in August 2015, Eighty Three has a record of 3-4-2 from 10 starts since then, with earnings of $177,850. The 6-year-old gelding has not run since finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Stakes last July at Gulfstream Park but is entered in an optionalclaiming race here Friday.

Jacobson and Costabile both said they have been looking to do more claiming. They have lost shakes on a few claims recently, and as the winter wears on, good prospects have been more difficult to find.

“Hopefully, we’ll be in full swing once we get into the spring at Belmont and Saratoga,” Jacobson said.

Cloud Computing impresses

It’s been a relatively quiet winter in New York for trainer Chad Brown, with his stable having made just 15 starts and winning five races since Dec. 7. Last Saturday, however, Brown’s barn made some noise by sending out Cloud Computing to a good-looking maiden victory in a six-furlong race at Aqueduct.

Cloud Computing, a son of Maclean’s Music, was away last in a field of five and raced along the rail for nearly a halfmile before being tipped wide approaching the top of the stretch. He raced a tad greenly in upper stretch before leveling off and finishing well to win by 1 3/4 lengths. He covered six furlongs in 1:11.31 and earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He ran terrific,” Brown said by phone from Florida. “The horse had been training very well. He was always one we were high on, just got started a bit late. He’s certainly a horse with a future.”

Though Maclean’s Music was a sprinter, Cloud Computing’s dam, Quick Temper, by A.P. Indy, did win at 1 1/8 miles. Brown said Cloud Computing will be given a chance to stretch out next time in a race to be determined.

“He’s a tall, leggy, goodmoving horse who acts like he wants to go further,” Brown said. “We’re excited to stretch this horse out ultimately and see how far he wants to go.”

◗ There were two racingrelated fatalities Sunday at Aqueduct. Frat Star, a 4-yearold colt, and Regulus, an 8-yearold gelding, were euthanized on the track after incidents in back-to-back races over a sealed, sloppy inner track.