Candy Man Rocket looks to strike it rich in Gold Fever
At 2h42, on May 9, 2021 • By BELMONT PARK
Frank Fletcher Racing Operations’ Candy Man Rocket will attempt to find additional stakes success as a sprinter, as Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott shortens him up in Sunday’s $100,000 Gold Fever for sophomores going six furlongs on Belmont Park’s main track.
Candy Man Rocket was stretched out as he navigated the Triple Crown trail, winning the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis going 1 1/16 miles in February at Tampa Bay Downs. Competing at the same distance and track a month later, the Candy Ride colt was rated and then tired in the stretch in an 11th-place finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.
Mott stretched him out to a career-long 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack, but a wide trip, followed by a lackluster finish in a ninth-place effort, will prompt his connections to try him in a sprint for the first time since his maiden-breaking 9 1/4-length score in a six-furlong contest in January at Gulfstream Park.
Since shipping from Payson Park to Belmont last month, Candy Man Rocket has recorded three works on the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile breeze in 47.95 seconds on Monday.
“It doesn’t look like his future is going long,” Mott said. “He’s doing well. We’ll shorten him up and see what happens.”
Junior Alvarado will ride from the outermost post 6.
