My Boy Tate poised to continue Nevin's resurgence in Holly Hughes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Michelle Nevin has bounced back from a rough start to the Aqueduct winter meet. She’s hoping My Boy Tate can do the same in Monday’s $100,000 Hollie Hughes Stakes for New York-breds.

Nevin lost with her first 32 starters at this meet, which began last Dec. 12. Nevin has won with four of her last 10 runners, including two on Friday.

My Boy Tate won the 2018 Hollie Hughes, and enters this year’s running off a fifth-place finish in the Say Florida Sandy on Jan. 11. Nevin believes there were several factors that may have contributed to the disappointing performance, which came following a huge effort winning the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes on Nov. 24 off a 13-month layoff.

“Right off the bench he put out a huge effort,” said Nevin, who is also the breeder and part-owner of My Boy Tate with Little Red Feather Racing. “He might have needed more time. Also, the way the track was playing that day may not have played to his favor. It was more of a speed-favoring track and the horse that won it got out there loose.”

Indeed, on Jan. 11, none of the nine Aqueduct winners was farther back than 1 3/4 lengths at any point of call. Arthur’s Hope won the Say Florida Sandy in front-running fashion in a race where the top three finishers basically ran 1-2-3 all around the track.

My Boy Tate, who broke slowly, was fourth throughout before losing that position by a head at the wire.

My Boy Tate has turned in three solid works since the Say Florida Sandy, including a bullet half-mile in 48 seconds on Wednesday. Manny Franco rides from the rail.

“I feel like the horse is training good,” Nevin said. “He’s being his normal self.”

Arthur’s Hope, based in Maryland with Marco Salazar, has returned for the Hollie Hughes. It’s unlikely he will be able to get loose on the lead with Eye Luv Lulu, Binkster, and Amundson in the field.

Still, Salazar is confident that Arthur’s Hope can duplicate his last effort on Monday.

“He’s been training amazing,” said Salazar, whose horse drew the outside post and will have Kendrick Carmouche aboard. “I expect a really good race. He likes to go to the lead. He’s a fighter – he doesn’t quit.”

Cerretalto, a 6-year-old gelding by Tizway trained by James Bond, makes his stakes debut in the Hollie Hughes. He is 5 for 6 at Aqueduct, including an off-the-pace victory in an open-company allowance on the Jan. 11 card.

Cerretalto gets in with 118 pounds, six fewer than My Boy Tate, Arthur’s Hope, and P J Advantage.

The 9-year-old Eye Luv Lulu was second to My Boy Tate in the Hollie Hughes in 2018 and third behind Bavaro in 2019. The Jason Servis-trained gelding comes out of a second in a New York-bred allowance on Dec. 30 that saw the first- and third-place finishers come back to win their next start.

Morning Breez completes the field.