Dream Friend has been a bit of a late-bloomer, breaking his maiden late in his 3-year-old year in November 2018. But after finishing in the money in his last six starts, trainer John Terranova is moving the son of Ghostzapper up to stakes company for the first time in 10 starts in the Grade 3, $150,000 Poker on Saturday, Met Mile Day, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Owned by Eric Fein, Christopher McKenna, Harris Fein, Guri Singh and Jerry Walia, Dream Friend returned off a seven-month layoff to run third in an optional claimer on June 3 over the Belmont turf.
“He's doing really well. We were potentially looking at a couple of allowance spots, but it didn't materialize,” Terranova said. “It just seemed like a good time. He's doing well coming out of that first race off the layoff. Hopefully he'll take a bit of a jump forward and stay competitive at this level.”
Dream Friend has been the pacesetter in five of his last six starts and was in second position in the other, a runner up effort in September in a one-mile turf route at Belmont. The Poker, contested at one mile on the Widener turf course, could allow Dream Friend to be forwardly placed again.
“He has been consistent. Pace wise, he has speed. The race doesn't look like it has too many frontrunners in there,” Terranova said. “We'll see what happens weather wise tonight if everyone stays in or not. He's ready and doing really well, hopefully we'll have a big effort out of him again.”
Nine horses entered the Poker, with one main-track only entrant, led by 5-2 Value Proposition. Dream Friend, listed at 8-1, drew the inside post with Jose Lezcano, who was aboard last month.
“He's always good from the gate so hopefully that continues. He's a speedy type of horse so if he gets away cleanly, hopefully things will go well,” Terranova said.
The post Terranova: Time Is Right To Pitch Dream Friend Into Stakes Company appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
