A Freud of Mama upsets NYSS Fifth Avenue at 23-1

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A Freud of Mama is by Freud out of a dam that had won more than $240,000 exclusively on dirt, so it wasn’t a surprise to trainer Mike Maker that she could be successful on dirt. He was surprised that she was dismissed by the betting public in Sunday’s $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct.

A Freud of Mama, sent off at odds of 23-1, proved her trainer right and the bettors wrong as she rallied down the center of Aqueduct’s sealed, muddy main track to run by stablemate Time Limit – at 4-1 the shorter price of Maker’s uncoupled entry – to win the Fifth Avenue by 1 1/2 lengths. Officer Hutchy, coming off maiden $40,000 claiming victory, edged Time Limit by a neck for second. Big Q, the 1-2 favored finished sixth in the 11-horse field.

The win was the second from five starts for A Freud of Mama, a daughter of the 21-year-old Freud, who stands at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N.Y. A Freud of Mama is out of the dam Mama Theresa, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Haynesfield. A Freud of Mama is owned and bred by William Butler.

A Freud of Mama had gone 1 for 4 in her previous starts, all on turf. She was third in the Grade 3 Matron to the repeat winner Alms, while finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind Time Limit.

The lure of a large purse and a forecast for wet weather enticed Maker to try her in this race.

“I thought with all the rain in the forecast I thought she’d love the slop, which she did,” Maker said by phone. “I was surprised with the company she’d been keeping that she was actually that big a price.”

Jorge Vargas Jr. rode A Freud of Mama and had her in midpack, but only four lengths off the pace while Time Limit, under Manny Franco, set the pace through fractions of 23.08 seconds for the quarter and 46.47. Officer Hutchy chased from second.

Time Limit had a two-length lead with a furlong to go, but her distance limitations began to show and Officer Hutchy looked poised to pounce. But A Freud of Mama rallied strongly in the final furlong to get the victory.

A Freud of Mama covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.81 and returned $48.20 to win.

“She was behind horses, maybe a little bit out of position, but once she got going, she got into the bridle she was doing things so well,” Vargas said. “Coming into the stretch I said if they slow down on me a little bit, I’m going to get there, and she did.”

Maker said Sunday’s race likely earned A Freud of Mama a winter campaign in New York. Races like the $100,000 Franklin Square on Jan. 18 and/or the Maddie May on Feb. 23 could be likely targets for A Freud of Mama.

In addition to earning the $275,000 first-place purse, A Freud of Mama received an additional $13,750 as she was making her fifth start on the NYRA circuit, making her eligible for a 5 percent bonus as part of the Starter Loyalty program.

Maker said Time Limit would likely get some time off.

Big Q disappointed as the favorite. Trainer Gary Gullo said jockey Jose Lezcano told him she wasn’t handling the muddy surface.

“Lezcano said she hated the way the track was today,” Gullo said. “Those things are out of your control, but it looked like she come back good. It’s disappointing when you’re the favorite in a $500,000 race.”