Terranova eyes stakes sweep

John Terranova sends out morning-line favorites Franny Freud and General Maximus, a pair of 3-year-olds by Freud, in divisions of Sunday's New York Stallion Stakes.

In the Park Avenue for fillies, Franny Freud looms odds-on after sharp performances in Grade 2 company - a close second in the Santa Ynez at Santa Anita against Amen Hallelujah and a decisive victory in the Beaumont at Keeneland.

Garrett Gomez, aboard for those two races, has the mount again.

"She came to New York about a week after the Beaumont . . . and has had two nice breezes since then," Terranova said. "Since she's Stallion Stakes eligible, this is a great spot for her, and from here we might look at some of the bigger sprints for 3-year-old fillies."

Franny Freud won her debut by seven lengths at Belmont last May and went on to win stakes at Woodbine and Finger Lakes before concluding her juvenile campaign with a five-length score in the New York Stallion sprint at Aqueduct on Nov. 15.

Raffie's Rose, So N So, and Hook Me Up, among Franny Freud's victims Nov. 15, are back for another try.

Hook Me Up led through the opening half-mile in all four of her races last year. Trained by Linda Rice, she makes her first start of the year and will probably contest the early pace with So N So, an overnight stakes winner at Saratoga last summer.

Positive Pitch comes off a big-figure allowance win in the mud for Bruce Levine and makes her stakes debut.

General Maximus was a debut winner at Belmont's 2009 spring-summer meet but didn't run again until wiring an open allowance sprint at Gulfstream Park in mid-winter for former trainer Joe Imperio.

He subsequently set the pace and faded to fourth against Group 2 stakes winner Radiohead and will be making his first start for Terranova off a nine-week layoff in the Times Square division for colts and geldings.

"He's new in the barn, but he's one I've watched from the beginning," Terranova said. "We have high hopes for him. He looks to be a colt with that kind of talent. This race Sunday could be a springboard to a race like the Woody Stephens if everything goes right."

Make Note, a two-time stakes winner in the slop last fall for George Weaver, makes his seasonal debut and is the main threat.