Susie Raisher Photo

My Boy Tate comes back from 13-month layoff to win NYSSS Thunder Rumble

by Brian Bohl

My Boy Tate looked sharp off a 13-month layoff, rallying late to register his third career stakes win with a 1 3/4-length score in Sunday’s the 13th running of the $150,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Thunder Rumble at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing and Michelle Nevin, who also conditions the 5-year-old gelding, My Boy Tate made his first start since running eighth in the Hudson in October 2018. He stayed off the early pace as Arthur’s Hope and Dark Money were sent to the front, with the former leading the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.91 seconds and the half in 46.51 on the sloppy main track.

Entering the stretch, jockey Manny Franco asked My Boy Tate for more, and his charge responded by surging from the outside, going eye-to-eye with Binkster before driving on to the wire, outkicking a charging T Loves a Fight and completing the seven-furlong sprint in 1:24.39.

“I knew there was going to be some pace in front of me, so I didn’t want to be there too early,” said Franco, who tallied his third win on the day. “My horse doesn’t have to be there [at the front], so I sat back and when I asked him in the stretch, he was there for me. He handled the track really well, I think that helped me a lot. He was ready today.”

My Boy Tate won the Say Florida Sandy and the Hollie Hughes during his 4-year-old campaign last year. The gelded son of Boys At Tosconova returned to training in September at Belmont Park and earned his first trip to the winner’s circle since his one-length score in the Hollie Hughes in February 2018 at the Big A.

“He was well worth the wait,” Nevin said. “He had just been doing so well, breezing like clockwork, and he was always on the muscle.”

My Boy Tate, off at 4-1, returned $10.60 on a $2 win wager. He improved his career bankroll to $361,400.

T Loves a Fight finished on the board for the fourth time in his last five starts, finishing 2 ¼ lengths clear of Binkster for second.

Arthur’s Hope, Sicilia Mike, Kazmania, two-time defending Thunder Rumble-winner Gold for the King, and Dark Money completed the order of finish.

Live race resumes Wednesday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.