Faith N Hope stepping up

Faith N Hope paid a generous $10.80 when she won a $12,500 optional-claiming race for Florida-bred fillies and mares June 25 at Gulfstream Park. Generous, because she was coming off a runner-up finish in the $48,000 Liza Jane Handicap behind R Angel Katelyn, a five-time stakes winner with $316,820 in earnings. Faith N Hope is stepping up in class in Friday’s feature at Gulfstream, but with an impressive win in her last start she should be favored in the $25,000 optionalclaiming race for fillies and mares that drew eight horses going six furlongs.

One of the reasons Faith N Hope was an overlay in her 6 3/4-length romp was that she was facing older horses for the first time. Punters also may have dismissed her big effort in the Liza Jane because she was running over a sloppy track.

Plus, her trainer, Benny Cadahia, was looking for his first win since he renewed his license this year. Between 1991 and 1998, he won 32 races as a trainer before returning to baseball where he had spent seven years in the minor leagues after being drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1980. Cadahia was the bullpen catcher for the Chicago Cubs from 2000-06 and in 2007 he became the minor league catching coordinator for the Kansas City Royals.

Similar to Faith N Hope, Cadahia is trending in the right direction after battling kidney disease and diabetes.

“I was pretty sick two years ago and because of the problems with my kidney I lost my eyesight,” he said. “After a lot of treatment, I am doing pretty well now. My eyesight isn’t perfect yet, but it’s getting there.”

Cadahia owns Faith N Hope with his brother Chino, who is the senior coordinator of player development for the Royals.

“We bought Faith N Hope as a yearling and gave her to Luis [Olivares] to train, and he did a great job with her,” Benny Cadahia said. “He’s based at Gulfstream Park West, though, so I took over her training when I got my stalls at Gulfstream. She’s really starting to fill into herself, and lately she’s been showing more interest in training. It was Chino’s idea to buy her in order for me to get some exercise, which is critical in fighting diabetes.”

Faith N Hope has been a bit win shy, winning just once in 14 starts prior to the impressive performance going seven furlongs in her last start. However, she is very consistent, picking up a check in all of her races. Her worst finish was a fifth in a $50,000 starter optional-claiming race won by Laney, who was good enough to finish third in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs three starts later.

Cadahia is expecting another big effort from the daughter of Overdriven.

“I think she’s probably better going seven furlongs or a mile,” he said. “But she is doing very well right now, and she doesn’t need the lead to win.”

She will break from post 3 with Gerardo Corrales retaining the mount. With other speed in the field, Faith N Hope should be dangerous from a stalking position.

“Faith is what keeps us going,” Cadahia said. “We also have a half-sister to Faith N Hope named Driven to Faith.”