Kentucky Derby 2014 - Candy Boy Pedigree Profile

The 1 1/16 mile Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G-2) propelled another son of Candy Ride into the national spotlight on Saturday when Candy Ride announced his arrival on the 2014 Kentucky Derby trail. In the early race stages, Candy Boy settled into fourth place behind the leaders.  Given a text book ride by Gary Stevens, Candy Boy took the short way around the track for much of the race, before shifting out for running room at the top of the stretch. The bay colt found another gear mid-stretch to overtake a tiring Midnight Hawk and run down a game Chitu at the wire to win by half a length.  The final race time of 1:41.83 was comparable to 2009 winner Pioneerof The Nile, but a full second off of the 1:40.84 clocking of 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another.  The John Sadler trainee has a 6-2-2-0 ($305,600) race record and earned ten points in the Kentucky Derby points system. 

 

 

 

 

The Kentucky Derby trail is littered with candy wrappers.  Every year, sons of the popular sire Candy Ride make headlines or have the internet buzzing as they win and place in Kentucky Derby preps, only to fall short a few races later.  Make no mistake, the stallion’s progeny are very talented, but are they Classic caliber horses? 

 

In 2009, as part of Candy Ride’s first crop, Chocolate Candy got the sweet talk flowing.  After victories in the California and El Camino Real Derbies, Chocolate Candy finished a fast closing second to Pioneerof the Nile after going five wide on the turn in the Santa Anita Derby. Sent off at 10-1 in the Kentucky Derby, the colt was squeezed at the start, but made a strong move from 17 to finish fifth in the mud behind Mine That Bird.  Also in 2009, Capt. Candyman Can was briefly on the triple crown trail before his connections wisely determined that the colt would be more competitive as a sprinter/miler.

 

A year later, Sidney's Candy was the best in the west in 2010, when he captured the San Vicente, San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby. Sent off at 9-1 in the Kentucky Derby, Sidney's Candy pressed the pace for ¾ of a mile, then dropped faster than J.C. Penney stock to the back of the pack, winding up in seventeenth place.   In 2011, Clubhouse Ride placed in the CashCall and Sham Stakes before sustaining an injury.  

 

In December, Shared Belief captured national attention for his commanding victory in the CashCall Futurity. The colt sustained a quarter crack and hasn’t breezed since early January, although he has resumed galloping.  Read more about Shared Belief’s pedigree here.

 

That brings us to CANDY BOY (Candy Ride (ARG) - She's an Eleven, by In Excess (IRE)).  At first glance, Candy Boy appears to have a stamina oriented pedigree, as his sire set a new track record for 1 ¼ miles in the Pacific Classic and his damsire did the same in the Suburban Stakes.  Not so fast.  There’s more to this pedigree stuff than what the sire and damsire did or didn’t do.   

 

CANDY RIDE (Ride the Rails - Candy Girl (ARG), by Candy Stripes) is an all-around handy sire.  Dirt, turf, synthetics, Candy Rides babies run over everything and their distance range is sprints to middle distances.  As I mentioned, the stallion won at 1 ¼ miles and set a track record; However,  Candy Ride’s stakes progeny are distance challenged past 1 1/8 miles.  To date, he has six crops on the track and only one, Misremembered, has won at 1 ¼ miles, although four other stakes horses have placed at the distance. 

 

 

Candy Boy’s dam SHE’S AN ELEVEN compiled a nice 13-2-3-3 ($243,560) race record, including a victory in the 1 1/16 mile Melair Stakes at Hollywood.  She notched her maiden victory in a dirt mile contest and also placed in the seven furlong California Breeders' Champion Stakes.  The mare was talented over dirt and turf, placing at six furlongs on dirt  and at 1 1/16 miles over the lawn.  She raced in the silks of C R K Stable who also races Candy Boy.

 

 

She’s An Eleven is a young broodmare.  Her first two foals, both by Our New Recruit, have raced, and one, Sharp Act, is a winning sprinter. Candy Ride is She’s An Eleven’s first foal to earn blacktype.  She’s An Eleven also has an un-named yearling Quality Road colt.

 

Other than her talented son Candy Boy, She’s An Eleven owns the only blacktype in two generations.  She’s An Eleven’s dam She's a Sensation (Flying Sensation - Fabulous Ballet, by Moscow Ballet) won once in 17 tries as a dirt sprinter/miler.  She's a Sensation is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes sprinter Leave Me Alone (by Bold Badgett), whose greatest victory was capturing the Test Stakes (G-1).

 

 

 

IN EXCESS (Siberian Express - Kantado, by Saulingo (GB)) raced for two years in England before landing in Bruce Jackson’s barn in California.  The beautiful dark bay, almost black horse, reached the pinnacle of his racing career at age four, when he dominated the Met Mile (now Cigar Mile), Suburban and Whitney Handicaps and the Woodford Stakes.  Oddly, he was switched to turf for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, finished ninth as the favorite and never regained his winning ways, although In Excess did place in the San Antonio Handicap (G-2), Carter Handicap and again in the Met Mile the following year.  In Excess retired with a 25-11-2-3  ($1,736,733) race record. He won from six furlongs on turf to 1 ¼ miles over the dirt, including a new stakes and track record in the 1991 Suburban for 1 ¼ miles in 1:58.33, a record that still stands.   

 

In Excess retired to stand stud in California and set about passing miler speed to his offspring. He was California’s leading sire in 2002 and 2003. In Excess’ offspring include the graded stakes winners Musical Chimes, Romance is Diane, and Notional.  His sons at stud include Indian Charlie (now deceased), Notional, Gibson County (now deceased), Rocky Bar and Uncle Denny.   Notice something about all of his top winners?  None won past 1 1/8 miles and many were considered top sprinter/milers. His sons are also siring miler types, although Indian Charlie did produce one winner at 1 ¼ miles.

 

As a broodmare sire, the same holds true.  In Excess’ daughters have produced 26 stakes winners, including Breeders’ Cup Sprint champ Amazombie, Spinaway heroine Hot Dixie Chick, and Kentucky Distaff winner Bear Now.  Out of those 26 stakes winners, only one, Aggressive Elegance, has won at 1 1/8 miles and one, Controlled Meeting, has placed at 1 ¼ miles. 

 

Candy Boy’s second damsire Flying Sensation won the Cal Cup Juvenile. Amongst his many stakes races, the son of Flying Paster placed fourth in the 1993 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and second in the El Camino Real Derby (G-2).   

 

The Candy Ride/In Excess bloodline cross is a goldmine.  Candy Ride has sired six foals from In Excess mares. Four have raced, three have won, and all three own blacktype (Candy Boy, Ride Me Fast and Sugarinthemorning).  They have combined earnings of over $972K.

 

 

 

Candy Boy has the “typical look” of a son of Candy Ride.  He is an average sized, leggy colt with a slightly upright shoulder and good muscle definition.  His gait has a nice leg extension with slightly high knee action from the side. From the front, the colt paddles badly with both forelegs and all four legs appear to go in four different directions.  

 

 

 

 

Candy Boy’s performance in the 1 1/16 mile Robert B. Lewis looked effortless and the victory was all the sweeter by beating Sham Stakes winner Midnight Hawk  who was rank going into the first turn and tired after racing wide the entire way.  Despite this, Candy Boy’s pedigree indicates that he’s borderline for 1 1/8 miles and it may be as far as he’ll want to go in top company. Can Candy Boy outperform his pedigree?  Anything’s possible, just ask Smarty Jones and Funny Cide. Is it likely?  Time will tell.  John Sadler said that the colt exited the RB Lewis in good shape and will point to the Santa Anita Derby on April 5.