Say Florida Sandy's successor?

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In December 2001, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. was watching the Aqueduct replay show at home when he saw New York-bred Well Fancied win an allowance race by 5 3/4 lengths against open company.

Dutrow said he immediately called his main client, Sanford Goldfarb, and said, "We've got to buy [Well Fancied] because he's the next Say Florida Sandy."

Time will tell if Well Fancied can emulate the success of the retired Say Florida Sandy, who became the first New York-bred to earn $2 million, but Well Fancied is already the real deal.

Last Monday at Laurel Park, Well Fancied scored his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 2 General George for Dutrow and Goldfarb, who owns the 6-year-old in partnership with Stewart Hoffman.

The seven-furlong General George was Well Fancied's sixth stakes win since Goldfarb bought the gelding from the late Seymour Cohn, who bred and initially raced Well Fancied. Dutrow said Well Fancied, who was trained by John Hertler for the first 12 starts of his career, was purchased for $200,000.

"We made a good buy and they made a good sale," Dutrow said. "I never dreamed that he would win at a mile and eighth at Belmont last year in the Empire Classic. I could be wrong, but I think his best game is seven-eighths. He absolutely loves Belmont, and I want to have a fresh horse for that meet."

Well Fancied, who trained for the General George at Palm Meadows in Florida, is back at Dutrow's Aqueduct barn. Dutrow said Well Fancied trains so poorly over Aqueduct's inner track that he will only jog the horse until the main track opens next month.

Dutrow said the only way that he would run Well Fancied in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on April 10 is if last year's winner, Congaree, doesn't show up from California.

Congaree, said Dutrow, "might be the best horse ever to run over the main track. I don't need to do that."

Last November, Well Fancied finished a well-beaten fifth behind Congaree in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on the main track.

With consecutive wins in last year's Evan Shipman, General MacArthur, and Empire Classic, Well Fancied is the favorite to win the older male championship among New York-breds when the 2003 divisional winners are announced in April.

Migliore, Arroyo slightly injured

Jockey Richard Migliore was struck in the face by his mount in Thursday's sixth race, Sum Marval, before the start. Sum Marval was scratched at the gate, and Migliore took off his final mount of the day, All Star Frank, in the eighth race.

Norberto Arroyo Jr. took off his final mount on Thursday because he said he banged his ankle in the starting gate of the seventh race. On Friday, Arroyo was scheduled to begin serving a 15-day suspension for careless riding aboard Rogue Agent in the John B. Campbell Breeders' Cup Handicap at Laurel Park last Saturday.

* Apprentice Alan Garcia will be sidelined at least four weeks after having an appendectomy on Wednesday, according to his agent, Bruce Golub.

Garcia, 18, has ridden 13 winners from 178 mounts and has earnings of $563,705.

* Please Take Me Out, who won the Miss Grillo Stakes last year on the grass, blazed a half-mile in 47.32 seconds over Belmont's training track on Thursday. It was the fastest of 39 works at the distance. Please Take Me Out is among 18 3-year-old fillies nominated to next Saturday's $75,000-added Busher Stakes.