From Assiniboia Downs to Saratoga in 10 years, Winnipeg-born trainer ROB ATRAS saddled his first Grade 1 winner July 24 when the filly MARACUJA won a thrilling renewal of the $500,000 Coaching Club of American Oaks.
Atras, who went back out on his own in 2019, setting up a stable at Aqueduct for the winter meeting with his wife Brittney, has brilliantly developed Maracuja, a daughter of Honor Code – Patti’s Regal Song by Unbridled’s Song, into a Grade 1 winner only a few months after winning her maiden in February.
Owned by John Sakkos’s Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Maracuja won the 105th edition of the prestigious race at 14-1 as the longest shot on the board in the four-horse field.
Breaking from post 2 under Ricardo Santana, Jr., Maracuja tracked in second behind 1-5 favorite Malathaat, who was kept inside by Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez from the inside post in leading the compact field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.38 seconds on the fast main track.
Malathaat maintained the lead from the inside as Maracuja took back, allowing Clairiere to apply the pressure through a half-mile in 47.13 and three-quarters in 1:11.02. Nearing the turn, Malathaat and Clairiere were heads apart, but Santana, Jr. urged his charge up from the three-path with an aggressive hand ride. The three challengers arrive at the straightaway on near equal terms before Clairiere gave way. With Maracuja and Malathaat linking up, the former responded positively to Santana, Jr.’s left-handed encouragement, completing the course in 1:49.29 to earn the flower blanket.
She earned a career best 96 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.
“She broke really sharp, which I was happy with, and she was kind of right there,” said Atras, who won his third career graded stakes and first Grade 1 event. “They all seemed like they were coming and I thought Ricardo made a smart move by backing off and coming around the outside. What a race.”
Maracuja went from her maiden win to a second place finish in the Grade 3 Gazelle Stakes before landing seventh in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks behind Malathaat after a step-slow start and traffic issues.
The Grade 1 Alabama is likely next for Maracuja.
Atras was working odd jobs at the racetrack and a youngster. His mother owned shares in horses at Assiniboia and Atras worked in the silks room and photo finish while also working in the barns.
He worked his way up to assistant trainer to top trainers Jack Robertson and the late Bert Blake and owned a few horses of his own. He trained on his own between Assiniboia and Turf Paradise winning up to 30 races with claiming horses, barn earnings totaling about $230,000. It was his move to Oaklawn in 2015 where he assisted another Winnipeg-born trainer, Robertino Diodoro, with his large string of horses that led to Atras taking a chance on a stable at a bigger track. Diodoro has gone on to be one of the top race-winning trainers in North America.
Atras’s horses earned $1.8 million in 2019 and $2 million last year. His 40 winners in 2021 have already earned $2.6 million.
Brittney Atras, a graduate of Darley Flying Start, updates the stable’s horses on Twitter and the barn’s popular goat, Gilbert, also gets a lot of attention.
*MARACUJA comes from a long line of Ontario-bred mares. Seven Ontario-bred mares led up to the birth of Maracuja’s dam Patti’s Regal Song, a stakes-placed winner.
REGAL PENNANT, an Ontario-bred by Banner Bob – Regal Relation won the 1990 Ontario Debutante Stakes at Fort Erie for Leslie Meszaros and trainer George Bankuti. Regal Pennant, bred by Ian MacIntosh, went on to be a stellar broodmare, producing Grade 2 winner Regally Appealing and stakes winner Regal Miss Copelan. The latter is the dam of Manitoba’s leading sire GOING COMMANDO, a son of Unbridled’s Song.
Going back in Maracuja’s lineage, Regal Pennant’s dam, Regal Relation (by Kamaraan II) produced many Ontario winners such as Hard Eight. Regal Relation, also bred by MacIntosh was produced from the mare REGAL TAD, again, bred by MacIntosh. Regal Tad’s foaled included the popular GOOSE GREEN (18 wins) and CHARLEMAGNE (11 wins). Regal Tad is out of My Dear Stakes winner TAD, by Windfields.
Tad is a third generation mare from Ontario breeder James Heffering (whose nephew is Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Peter Heffering) who bred ATTACK, Hendrie Memorial Stakes winner, dam of Grey Stakes winner GALLANT FOE and granddam of Tad’s dam, FIGHTING FOE.
Trainer Rob Atras secures his first G1 victory in the CCAO with MARACUJA! 🤩 #Saratoga
"She's a bear out on the track…" @brittneymatras pic.twitter.com/nyyzFriCeG
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) July 24, 2021
More from Horses:
