Say Florida Sandy could set up for Celtic Chaos

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The likelihood of a wet track and an honest pace could give Celtic Chaos a slight edge in a contentious inaugural running of the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York-bred sprinters Saturday at Aqueduct.

More than an inch of rain was forecast for Friday and into Saturday, and Aqueduct’s main track was somewhat wet Thursday after warm temperatures created a thaw that forced officials to cancel that day’s racing program due to an uneven surface.

Celtic Chaos, a 5-year-old son of Dublin trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, is 3 for 7 over wet surfaces, including victories in the John Morrissey Stakes in the mud at Saratoga and a second-level allowance race here last April, also in the mud.

Celtic Chaos does his best running from off the pace and would benefit from a pace duel between Eye Luv Lulu and perhaps Haul Anchor, a colt also trained by McLaughlin who is adding blinkers while cutting back in distance.

Celtic Chaos is coming out of a fourth-place finish in a third-level allowance race where he was beaten three lengths by next-out winner Do Share. The pace was rather pedestrian that day.

Prior to that, Celtic Chaos finished fourth behind Ostrolenka, Eye Luv Lulu, and Pat On the Back in the Hudson Handicap at Belmont. All three of those horses are in this field. Celtic Chaos was running back three weeks after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Vosburgh.

My Boy Tate, a 4-year-old gelding by Boys At Tosconova, brings a three-race winning streak into the Say Florida Sandy, his stakes debut.

Though My Boy Tate’s three wins have come when he has been forwardly placed, trainer Michelle Nevin believes her runner can be effective from off the pace. He won his last race by 9 1/4 lengths here Dec. 9.

“I feel like he is very versatile,” Nevin said. “The last race, there wasn’t any pace and he found himself there. It’s not like the kid jumped him out and said ‘go here.’ ”

Dylan Davis has picked up the mount on My Boy Tate.

Gold for the King comes off a 7 1/2-length victory in a division of the New York Stallion Series. Prior to that, he finished eighth in the Hudson, but he had some physical issues leading up to that race that prevented him from running his best.