Gold for the King seeks repeat in Thunder Rumble

Gold for the King will be shooting for a repeat win in the $125,000 Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes on Sunday at Aqueduct. Loki’s Vengeance will be seeking his third win in the race. My Boy Tate will be trying to get back on track after two subpar efforts at Belmont Park.

The Thunder Rumble is a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up who were sired by eligible New York stallions. It is named for the New York-bred winner of the 1992 Travers and Jim Dandy who was trained by the late Richie O’Connell and ridden by Herb McCauley.

Gold for the King is clearly the horse to beat. He is 3 for 4 with a second over the Aqueduct main track, scored in this race by 7 1/2 lengths a year ago, and is coming off a gutsy second-place finish in the 6 1/2-furlong Hudson Handicap on Empire Showcase Day.

Five wide to the stretch in the Hudson, Gold for the King rallied doggedly and was getting to the winner late while holding second over Celtic Chaos, who was trying hard on his outside. Gold for the King was beaten three-quarters of a length.

A 4-year-old Posse gelding owned and bred by Francis Paolangeli and trained by Charlton Baker, Gold for the King has won two previous New York Stallion stakes and a pair of statebred stakes. Joel Rosario will be back aboard.

Loki’s Vengeance, 7, will be making his fifth consecutive appearance in the Thunder Rumble, a race he won in 2015 and 2016. He was sent off favored a year ago while coming into the race off a six-month layoff but tired to finish fourth.

He faces a similar task this year, as he has not raced since April for trainer Linda Rice. Loki’s Vengeance was gelded over the summer.

My Boy Tate went wire to wire to defeat Gold for the King by three lengths in the Say Florida Sandy Stakes in January for trainer Michelle Nevin. He went on to win the Hollie Hughes the following month, improving his record over the Aqueduct main track to 5-4-1-0.

He had a disappointing Belmont fall meet, finishing fourth at 4-5 in an optional-claiming race and last of eight in the Hudson. He raced four wide to the quarter pole in that race before backing up.

My Boy Tate is stabled at Aqueduct and has worked twice since the Hudson.

“I’m hoping that maybe Belmont just isn’t his favorite track,” Nevin said. “He’s shown a real affinity for Aqueduct, so hopefully he gets back here and right back on his game.”

The eight-horse field also includes Tribecca and Benevolence, who finished second and third here Wednesday in a statebred second-level optional claimer; and Sudden Surprise and Fleet Irish, who were claimed out of their last starts.

Finger Lakes shipper Winston’s Chance won the Leon Reed Memorial last time out in a sharp effort over stablemate Breakin the Fever.