Ollie's Candy keeps perfect record in tact in Summertime Oaks

Unbeaten in two sprints on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields, Paul and Karen Eggert’s homebred Ollie’s Candy was more than ready for her close-up on Saturday at Santa Anita, as she stalked favored Thirteen Squared and prevailed in a thrilling stretch duel to win the Grade II, $200,000 Summertime Oaks by a neck under Kent Desormeaux.  Trained by William E. Morey, the 3-year-old Candy Ride filly got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.72.

“Looking forward, through the rest of the year, all the big races for 3-year-old fillies are going a route of ground, so we decided to try it today,” said Morey, when asked what led into the decision to try graded stakes competition for the first time.  “Kent and I have been lucky together.  He’s ridden the three biggest winners of my life, this one being one of them.

A rousing 7 ¾ length allowance winner going six furlongs at Golden Gate May 13, Ollie’s Candy, who is out of the Eggert’s Stroll mare, Afternoon Stroll, was off at 7-2 in a field of six sophomore fillies and paid $9.60, $4.00 and $2.80.

With her first stakes win in-hand, Ollie’s Candy is now unbeaten in three starts.  With the winner’s share of $120,000, she near quadrupled her earnings to $151,800.

Thirteen Squared, who showed the way to the three sixteenths pole, battled gamely but was second best on the day, finishing 4 ¼ lengths in front of Chocolate Martini.  Ridden by Tyler Baze, she took significant late money and paid $2.80 and $2.10 as the 7-5 favorite.

Grade II stakes winner Chocolate Martini, who shipped in from Churchill Downs for trainer Tom Amoss, never threatened the top two and finished third by a head over longshot Zusha.  Off at 8-5 with Flavien Prat, Chocolate Martini paid $2.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.69, 47.96, 1:12.40 and 1:37.86.