Say Florida Sandy is out of the Sweet Candy mare Lolli Lucka Lolli and was bred in New York by Sanford Bacon.
Multi-millionaire and New York champion Say Florida Sandy has been purchased privately by Walter Downey from John Rotella and will enter stud at Amy Boll's Buckridge Farm near Stuyvesant, N.Y. His fee has tentatively been set at $5,000. Downey plans to syndicate Say Florida Sandy.Say Florida Sandy, whose retirement recently was announced, won 33 of 98 career starts and retires second on the list of money won by a New York-bred, trailing only dual classic winner Funny Cide. Rotella said Say Florida Sandy had been giving indications recently that he was ready to head to the farm.Rotella claimed Say Florida Sandy for $60,000 in 1998. After the claim, he went on to win the Gravesend Handicap (gr. III) and Wilmington Handicap. Say Florida Sandy won 19 stakes in his career, including the 2001 True North Handicap (gr. II). Say Florida Sandy was a six-time New York champion, with a Horse of the Year title in 2001, and a career earner of $2,085,408.