Funny Guy a hot commodity against statebreds in Say Florida Sandy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York-bred Funny Guy was held in such esteem by bettors earlier this year that he was sent off the favorite in both the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga and Grade 2 Vosburgh at Belmont Park.

Though he didn’t win either race, the bettors figure to be all over Funny Guy again Saturday when he heads a five-horse field entered in the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York-bred sprinters at Aqueduct.

The combination of Funny Guy being a potential odds-on choice and the fact the seven-furlong Say Florida Sandy has the shortest field on the nine-race program led officials to card it as the third race.

Funny Guy has won his last two starts against restricted company going seven furlongs. In July, he won the John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga. In November, he won the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Series as the 4-5 favorite at Aqueduct. He only won the latter by a neck over My Boy Tate, but John Terranova, trainer of Funny Guy, felt that was a product of the racetrack.

“The track was a little bit demanding, he had to work over it a little bit, it wasn’t as quick,” Terranova said. “It took him a little bit longer to pick it up late and pick those horses up and get it done.”

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Terranova said he was initially thinking of waiting for the Toboggan here Jan. 30 or the General George on Feb. 13 at Laurel – both Grade 3 stakes – but felt this race was too good to pass up.

Funny Guy shows two bullet works leading up to this, a five-furlong move Dec. 28 in which he went in company with Stan the Man, and a fastest-of-158 half-mile works in 47 seconds on Sunday.

Funny Guy, who breaks from the rail under Manny Franco, is the 124-pound highweight, conceding six pounds to his four rivals.

My Boy Tate, the 2018 Say Florida Sandy winner, is entered back one week after finishing fourth in the Gravesend last Saturday. Trainer Michelle Nevin said she could find no legitimate excuse for that effort and said she would monitor the gelding’s condition before committing to run.

“He’s his normal self, so far everything looks good, we’ll just see the next couple of days,” Nevin said.

Nevin also entered Our Last Buck, a 7-year-old gelding making his stakes debut. He is coming off a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure winning an open-company first-level allowance on Dec. 12.

“He’s been running well all year, I thought with a light, small field now’s the time to take a chance,” Nevin said. “I’m not too worried about the seven-eighths for him.”

The 8-year-old Celtic Chaos, a three-time New York-bred stakes winner, is starting in this race for the fourth consecutive year. He finished third in the 2018 edition to My Boy Tate.

Runningwscissors, a winner of two straight allowance races going six furlongs at Aqueduct, makes his stakes debut for owner/trainer Jeffrey Englehart.