Twirling Candy sons give Glatt two-thirds of G1 Bing Crosby trifecta

Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen, the first- and third-place finishers in Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, are both sons of Twirling Candy that trainer Mark Glatt picked out for clients at sales.

It’s not a coincidence.

“I was stabled next to John Sadler when Twirling Candy was running and just thought he was an amazing looking animal and certainly a very good racehorse,” Glatt said. “I thought that when he goes to stud, maybe I’ll have an opportunity to pick up one or two of (Twirling Candy’s progeny).”

He picked both Law Abidin Citizen and Collusion Illusion for a group based in his native state of Washington — Dan Agnew, Jerry Schneider, John Xitco and Dr. Rodney Orr.

Six-year-old Law Abidin Citizen didn’t wilt after being close to a fast early pace and held on to secure a third-place award of $30,000 and go over the $500,000 mark in career earnings. Three-year-old Collusion Illusion, given a heady ride by leading jockey Flavien Prat, rallied along the rail in the final furlong to edge Lexitonian on the wire.

It was Collusion Illusion’s fifth win in six lifetime starts. The $150,000 winner’s share of the purse increased his career earnings to $398,751.

But, more important, as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, it secured entry fees and travel expenses for the shortest and fastest of the events at the championships at Keeneland in November.

It also was the first Grade 1 stakes victory for Glatt, 47, who obtained his training license after graduation from Western Washington in 1994 and made a gradual southward move that brought him to Southern California in 2000.

“We’re going to enjoy the win,” Glatt said. “November is a long time away in this game, but I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to get him there one way or another.”