Gravesend Preview: My Boy Tate Poses Threat

OZONE PARK, NY – Little Red Feather Racing and Michelle Nevin’s My Boy Tate poses a serious threat to win his first open company stakes in Saturday’s $100,000 Gravesend at Aqueduct.

The Gravesend is a 6 1/2-furlong dirt sprint open to horses ages 4 and up. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 9-race card and has a local post time of 3:50 PM.

Here’s a look at the full field for the Gravesend:

1. Happy Farm 4/1 – He returns to the starting gate for the first time since finishing second in the local Tom Fool Handicap (G3) last March. He put together a 7-4-3-0 record after getting claimed for $30k in early 2019, but that came when he was still receiving regular pharmacy supplements from Jason Servis; will new trainer Linda Rice be able to keep him at that level?

2. Drafted 8/1 – He started his career stateside but became a multiple Group 3 stakes winner in dirt sprints once he relocated to Meydan, where he remained for 2 1/2 years before returning stateside this past summer. He returned to finish fifth in November’s Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) going 6 furlongs over this course. Expect improvement in his second start back.

3. Pete’s Play Call 5/2 – He makes his first start for new trainer Rudy Rodriguez after getting tagged for $62.5k out of a 6-furlong victory over this course at the end of November. Rodriguez is 20% first off the claim and 18% in stakes, so don’t be surprised to see him continue running well in this spot – especially since he has a distance record of 12-3-6-2.

Check our Handicapping Products page to find out how we are playing this and every race on the card! 

4. My Boy Tate 2/1 – He nearly won the local 7-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble Stakes last time out, ultimately getting nailed on the wire by a neck. He was 2 lengths clear of third-place Bankit, who returned to win the Alex M. Robb Stakes in his next start. Along with co-owning, Nevin trains and bred the New York native who has 3 state-bred stakes scores on his resume.

5. Stan the Man 9/5 – He won August’s Tale of the Cat Stakes going 6 furlongs at Saratoga before finishing third in the Kelso Handicap (G2) and second in the Fall Highweight. He’s yet to win in 4 tries at this distance, but he hit the board in 3 of them (including runner-up in the True North Stakes [G2]) and is the field’s only runner to earn multiple triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures.

See the day’s full plays from Ricky’s Rockets!