Terranova finally gets chance to participate in Gander Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As the trainer of Gander, John Terranova has desired to run a horse in the stakes race NYRA named in honor of the multiple-stakes-winning New York-bred gelding.

On Jan. 28, Terranova will get that chance when he runs Lost in the Fog Stakes winner Caledonian in the Gander for New York-bred 3-year-olds.

The Gander, run at a mile and 70 yards, will be Caledonian’s first try around two turns and first beyond 6 1/2 furlongs. He won a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs. Caledonian won the six-furlong Lost in the Fog by a neck over Always a Suspect, the horse that beat him a neck Nov. 24.

Caledonian is a son of Concord Point, who won the West Virginia Derby and the Iowa Derby, both two-turn races.

“He hasn’t given us any indication he’s a pure sprinter,” Terranova said of Caledonian. “He rates. He settles.”

NYRA first ran the Gander in the mid-2000s. Carminooch won it in 2005 and Accountforthegold won in 2007. It was not run from 2008 through 2015 before being brought back last year as a race restricted to 3-year-olds. Governor Malibu won last year’s running.

“I’m happy to have a horse for it,” Terranova said. “We haven’t been in it yet.”

Meanwhile, King Kranz, winner of the 2016 Lost in the Fog Stakes for Terranova, was credited with a five-furlong move in 1:02.66 over the Belmont training track Wednesday morning. Terranova and Justin Zayat, racing manager for his family’s Zayat Stables, both said they hope King Kranz makes it back to the races in February and did not rule out his return coming in the Grade 3 General George on Feb. 18 at Laurel.