Syndergaard finding his fastball again

ELMONT, N.Y. – After winning the last stakes of the Aqueduct meet with Funny Guy, trainer John Terranova will attempt to win the first stakes of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet with Syndergaard in a competitive renewal of the $100,000 Affirmed Success on Friday.

The Affirmed Success, a six-furlong stakes restricted to New York-breds despite the fact Affirmed Success was a Grade 1-winning Kentucky-bred, will go as race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. It is the first of 59 stakes to be contested at the Belmont meet, which runs through July 7.

An outside draw, a stalking trip, and the likelihood of a wet track should all benefit Syndergaard, who despite running some strong races this winter at Aqueduct is still seeking just his second win in the last 32 months. He is 2 for 3 with a second over wet tracks.

Syndergaard, beaten a nose in the Grade 1 Champagne here in 2016, showed signs of his former self in a three-race span from December to February. He won a second-level New York-bred allowance, then was narrowly beaten twice by Honor Up, in the Say Florida Sandy Stakes going seven furlongs and the Haynesfield going a mile.

Most recently, Syndergaard ran in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap, where he was part of an extremely fast early pace before backing up to finish fifth. John Velazquez was aboard for the Tom Fool. Junior Alvarado will ride Syndergaard on Friday.

“Last time he got sent a little bit too early into a crazy pace,” Terranova said. “He came back really well, is training great, and drew a nice outside post. He could sit outside any speed.”

There does look to be ample speed in the Affirmed Success, with Bavaro, Eye Luv Lulu, Sudden Surprise, and Tribecca all candidates to be on the lead.

A hot pace would benefit both Pat On the Back and Celtic Chaos, who won this race in 2017.

Pat On the Back won stakes at 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles last year, but he really got his campaign going with a second to Eye Luv Lulu in this race last year. Though he has bigger goals in mind for Pat On the Back – potentially the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 8 – trainer Jeremiah Englehart believes this race is a good place to start.

“I didn’t want to run him long first time back,” Englehart said. “This is a race that made a lot of sense last year; no sense trying to change anything up. It’s not a race where you sit there and expect him to win just because he’s Pat On the Back. But he’s well prepared and he’s doing very well.”

Celtic Chaos is 2 for 14 since winning this race in 2017. He is making his first start since finishing a late-running second to Bavaro in the Hollie Hughes at Aqueduct on Feb. 18.

Eye Luv Lulu has recorded eight of his 11 victories over a wet track and will be dangerous if the forecast for rain proves accurate.