Accretive, Maker's Candy better than their last races indicate

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Accretive and Maker’s Candy look to rebound from recent disappointing efforts when they are two of six horses entered to run a mile in a third-level allowance that serves as the feature on Sunday’s eight-race Aqueduct card.

Accretive, trained by Chad Brown, won two allowance races last summer before finishing second to Cody’s Wish in the Grade 2 Vosburgh and third to Everso Mischievous in the Grade 2 Forty Niner, both at Aqueduct.

He caught a sloppy track when finishing 10th in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile, then finished eighth when beaten 14 3/4 lengths by Tumbarumba in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27.

“He didn’t care for Gulfstream, that horse; he didn’t like the kickback,” Brown said. “I let him catch his breath. I got him on a steady work pattern now and got him back on a track that I know he’s liked in the past.”

Accretive will break from the rail under Dylan Davis.

Maker’s Candy, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner at 3, put together a three-race winning streak late last fall into the start of this year, all in allowance company. Sent off the even-money favorite in the Haynesfield Stakes on Feb. 24, Make’s Candy was pulled up by jockey Jose Lezcano and was vanned off.

“Jose said he felt the horse stumble and pulled him up,” trainer Mike Maker said. “That race is hard to forget, but that’s all I can do.”

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Coincidentally, in the race before the Haynesfield, the Maker-trained Pineapple Man was eased in an allowance race. Pineapple Man came back, albeit in the claiming ranks, and won by 4 1/4 lengths on March 29.

Since the Haynesfield, Maker’s Candy has fired bullet workouts in two of three drills.

Jose Gomez rides Maker’s Candy from post 6.

Bold Endeavor makes his first start off the claim for Linda Rice, who took him for $62,500 on Jan. 27 when he finished second, beaten a head, by Maker’s Candy.

Rice, who won five races on Thursday’s card, said Bold Endeavor had a couple of hiccups coming back off that race but feels he’s headed now headed in the right direction.

“It does seem like he prefers a wet track,” said Rice, acknowledging the track figures to be dry and fast on Sunday.

Synthesis, trained by David Jacobson, takes a slight raise in class after winning an allowance race going a mile here on March 30.

Winit, trained by John Kimmel, is winless in three starts in this condition, all races run over a wet track. The last time he raced on a fast track, Winit finished second to Castle Chaos in an allowance here on Nov. 2.

Manny Franco rides Winit from post 5.

He’smyhoneybadger finished last in a spot similar to this when claimed for $80,000 by Rob Atras.

Joey Freshwater earns a 105

The highlight of trainer Linda Rice’s five-win Thursday was the performance of Joey Freshwater, who earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for his 3 3/4-length victory in a second-level allowance race.

Joey Freshwater won the 2023 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct but went winless in his next six starts before going to the sidelines last August. After coming off the bench with a second-level allowance win on Jan. 6, he finished fourth in a third-level allowance on Feb. 9. Rice said Joey Freshwater came out of that race lame in a hind leg so she gave him some time off and got him right.

“He was a lame horse coming out of the last race. He wrenched a hind leg,” Rice said. “We gave him some time and he rebounded.”

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Rice said that Joey Freshwater would be considered for the Grade 3, $175,000 Runhappy Stakes here on May 11.

Rice went 5 for 5 on Thursday, winning with Solib ($3.70), Screaming Uncle ($2.70), Cinderella’s Cause ($4.60), Joey Freshwater ($9.90) and the first-time starter Freedsdale ($22).

Jose Lezcano rode all five winners for Rice.

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