Doc Sullivan looms an upsetter as Mama's Gold cuts back in Say Florida Sandy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On paper, Mama’s Gold looks like a standout in Saturday’s $125,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York-breds at Aqueduct. He is coming off two monster races, both of which earned him triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, has won four of his last five races against statebred competition, and has plenty of speed.

The question surrounding Mama’s Gold is whether he’ll be as effective going seven furlongs in the Say Florida Sandy as he was going 1 1/8 miles in his last two starts. If the answer is yes, Mama’s Gold is likely a short-priced winner. If the answer is no, then seemingly any of his five rivals could upset.

Doc Sullivan is coming off one of his best races from a speed-figure standpoint when beaten a nose by Bank Frenzy in the Alex M. Robb Stakes on Dec. 28. Doc Sullivan is a stakes winner at seven furlongs and if jockey Jose Lezcano can keep his face clean early from post 4, Doc Sullivan is dangerous.

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Doc Sullivan has finished first or second in nine of his 12 starts. Prior to the Robb, he finished sixth in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and was fourth in the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Series where he took dirt early in the race.

“When he gets hit with the kickback, he kind of throws his head,” said Mike Miceli, the trainer of Doc Sullivan. “Generally, we’ve been lucky enough to get him in a good spot where that’s not going to happen hopefully. The last race, he surprised me, he broke very well and the rider took advantage of the break, he ran a super race and just got beat the last jump.”

Lezcano was aboard Doc Sullivan for the first time that day.

Jimmy Ferraro, the trainer of Mama’s Gold, said it wasn’t a difficult decision to stop on Mama’s Gold following his superlative victories in the Empire Classic in October and an open-company allowance race in December.

“There weren’t too many spots to run in and when a horse puts in such maximum performance and you get an owner that lets you do the right thing, it’s a lot easier,” said Ferraro, who trains Mama’s Gold for Jonathan Hardoon.

Mama’s Gold appears to be more effective around two turns than one, but Ferraro said he has “no concerns” about cutting back to seven furlongs because of the horse’s speed.

“You got to see how the race develops. I’m sure the jockey is not going to want to change his style too much,” said Ferraro, who has Romero Maragh riding from post 2.

Sheriff Bianco and Whittington Park have run races that make them competitive in this but their best days seem behind them.

Locke and Key has won two of his last three but must prove he can be effective off Lasix. This will be just his second start in a stakes race. The 6-year-old Shipsational, supplemented to this race at entry time, has lost his last 18 starts after winning three of four races as a 2-year-old, including two statebred stakes.

The Say Florida Sandy is carded as race 3 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m.

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