Sidney’s Candy made his first start in New York for new connections a sweet one Sunday
afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, leading from start to finish to take the
27th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Fourstardave Handicap.
Sharpest out of the gate, the
4-year-old son of Candy Ride controlled an easy pace, loping through an opening
quarter in 25.83 and a half-mile in 50.49. Maintaining a comfortable lead
throughout, he was prompted by jockey John Velazquez at the top of the stretch
and finished 1 ¼ lengths clear of Moryba and Beau Choix, who were second and
third at every call. The winner’s final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.25 over
firm turf.
“It was pretty easy,” said
Velazquez. “He broke sharp. I know there was no speed in the race. When we got
to the first turn, I put my hands down and he rated himself in the slow pace. I
waited for them to come at us at the quarter pole before I asked him to do
anything. I was a little cautious. As soon as I asked him, he responded and it
worked out well for us.”
Sent off as the 1-4 favorite in
the field of seven, Sidney ’s Candy returned $2.60 to his Spa
backers.
“He relaxed beautifully and
Johnny said he was just going to go as fast as whoever was going to make him
go,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains the colt for WinStar Farm. “Johnny said it
is a little soft out there still, even though it’s upgraded to firm today. I
thought it was a very professional effort. He had to quicken on softer ground
than he’s used to, and he quickened really well. The one disadvantage to having
real soft fractions is that it kind of leaves everyone in the race and turns
into a sprint home, but he did it very well.”
It was the first victory this
year for Sidney ’s Candy, who previously was based
in California
and trained by John Sadler to five graded stakes victories on turf, dirt and
synthetic surfaces, including a 4 ½-length score in the Grade 1 Santa Anita
Derby as a 3-year-old. Sold privately to WinStar farm and transferred to
Pletcher in late spring, the colt had not raced since a nose defeat to Ryehill
Dreamer in the Grade 2 American Handicap on the turf at Hollywood Park on May 28.
“I’m just very pleased,” said
Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm. “It’s a little bit of a
relief when you run a horse for the first time; obviously a big favorite. The
pace scenario was a little unusual, especially for a horse that comes from
California and
wants to run in 22 and change, 45. I was a little apprehensive about him going
that slowly, but he finished up nicely, which was exactly what we wanted.”
The $90,000 winner’s share of the
Fourstardave purse pushed Sidney ’s Candy’s earnings over the $1 million
mark, to $1,043,560. His record now stands at 7-4-0 from 14 starts. Pletcher
said all options remained open for the colt’s next start.
“We’re going to consider the
Forego [Grade 1, 7 furlongs, September 3 at Saratoga ], the Woodward [Grade 1, 1 1/8 miles, September 3
at Saratoga ],
turf,” said the trainer. “It’s pretty rare that you have a horse that does
everything as well as he does that’s very, very good on three different
surfaces.”
Blues Street, Turallure, Paris
Vegas and Voodoo Swinge completed the order of finish in the Fourstardave.