The past performance lines, as well as the morning line, make it very clear that Maker's Candy is the horse to beat in Monday's $150,000 New York Derby, the 50th running at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.
Take into consideration the colt's connections of trainer Mike Maker and jockey Jose Ortiz and there's little doubt the stakes-winning Maker's Candy will be the prohibitive favorite in the seven-horse field of state-bred 3-year-olds.
A $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-olds in training sale purchase last year, the Twirling Candy colt won the Mike Lee Stakes, ridden by Ortiz, on May 29 at Belmont Park and finished first, but was disqualified for interference, in the Gander Stakes on Feb. 25 at Aqueduct.
And Maker won the 2022 edition of the New York Derby with Barese.
What's not to like about Maker's Candy?
Locally based trainer Chris Englehart isn't handing the winner's trophy to Maker's Candy just yet. Englehart, the perennial leading trainer at Finger Lakes, believes Freudmein may be up to the challenge when in the annual 1 1/16 mile New York Derby is run as the eighth race on Monday's nine-race
program. First-race post time is 1:15 p.m. (ET).
Freudmein scored on the sealed slop at Belmont on May 20, breaking his maiden by 11¾ lengths as the favorite to earn an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. It was his first victory after second and fourth in his first two starts.
While it took three starts before Freudmein made his first visit to the winner's circle, Englehart always has been high on the homebred son of Freud out of the dam Colormein, by Mr. Greeley.
“Right from the start of his breezing we could see Freudmein had a lot of potential,” Englehart said. “It didn't matter who we breezed him against he would beat them. I was extremely impressed with his maiden win; he just glided over the slop.”
Having trained almost 4,700 winners in a 40-year career, Englehart knows quality when he sees it. And having trained horses for My Purple Haze Stables for more than 20 years, he'd like nothing more than to win the New York Derby for owner Wanda Polisseni who resides in the Rochester
suburb of Fairport, New York.
Polisseni, through her My Purple Haze Stables, has enjoyed success in Thoroughbred and harness racing. The New York Derby would be a crowning achievement with Thoroughbreds.
“It would certainly mean a lot; Wanda has won a lot of stakes with her trotters and we have won a few minor stakes together, but nothing like this,” Englehart said, whose best finish in the New York Derby came in 2021, when Purple Hearted finished second.
Another key component in the team is jockey John Davila Jr. Recently inducted into the Finger Lakes Hall of Fame, Davila is a three-time winner of the New York Derby, with one per decade. He won the 1996 edition with Carr Tech, the 2003 running with Traffic Chief, and 2015 edition with
Force.
While Freudmein does hail from a family of sprinters, Englehart believes the colt can stretch out.
“He trains like he wants to run farther,” said Englehart, a 2017 inductee into the Finger Lakes Hall of Fame. “He has missed some time training, but the New York Derby only comes around once so we're taking a shot.”
Freudmein's siblings enjoyed significant success. Colormepazzi (by Mission Impazible) earned $240,562 and Colormepompom (by Pomeroy) bankrolled $256,805.
The field for the $150,000 New York Derby with (morning-line odds, trainer, jockey):
1 Tacony Road (15-1, Tim Murphy, Nazario Alvarado)
2 Allure of Money (4-1, Michael Ferraro, Luis Perez)
3 Mo Trump (12-1, Michael A. Ferraro, Jacky Davis)
4 Freudmein (3-1, Chris Englehart, John Davila Jr.)
5 Tiz Lucky (15-1, Beth Miller-Saul, Keiber Coa)
6 Maker's Candy (1-1, Michael Maker, Jose Ortiz)
7 Wynn Giant (10-1, Jeffrey Englehart, Heman Harkie)
The post Maiden Winner Freudmein In With Big Shot In New York Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
