Candied runs away from Allaire duPont rivals down the lane

BALTIMORE - Candied, the third-place finisher in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, took full advantage of some class relief on Friday to win the $125,000 Allaire duPont Distaff Stakes by three lengths at Pimlico Race Course.

With a busy summer schedule in mind, Todd Pletcher didn’t seem all that surprised when his 4-year-old filly unleashed a furious drive in the stretch to win by three lengths.

“We were looking to get her back in the winner’s circle and it felt like everything kind of fit well with this race,” Pletcher said.

After a slight delay following the late scratch of Sea Dancer, the shortened field of six all broke evenly and Candied settled into a comfortable early position in fourth. Dazzling Move, a 4-year-old filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., took advantage of her rail position and beat Peignoir into the first turn to establish an early lead. The front-runner completed the opening quarter-mile in 23.16 seconds.

With Peignoir chasing hard behind, Dazzling Move kicked clear on the backstretch through a half-mile in 47.73 seconds, but Candied and Irad Ortiz Jr. didn’t begin to move forward until the far turn. She inherited third and then quickly circled the flagging top pair to lead in the stretch, at which point she straightened out and kicked clear.

:: Get ready for the Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies!

“She was running beautifully,” Ortiz said. “I was able to get close to the pace without using her, without doing anything. I just bided my time from there and turning for home, I just got in the clear and she showed up.”

With little left to offer after leading the entire way, Dazzling Move held on for second without putting up much of a fight against the 4-5 favorite. Regaled, a 30-1 long shot trained by Sammy Davis, picked up the pieces for third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Dazzling Move.

Candied finished the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:50.47 and paid $3.80 to win. On a day where several front-runners encountered favorable conditions on dirt, Pletcher remained confident that his filly would have her way in the stretch.

“You always worry about someone sneaking away but it looked like they were keeping each other company up front, so I thought we were in a good spot,” Pletcher said.

Candied made her 2025 debut in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland last month, finishing third. Her last appearance in ungraded stakes company was in the Lady’s Secret at Monmouth Park last June, a commanding victory that closely resembled her performance at Pimlico on Friday.

Pletcher’s summer plans for the talented filly will likely include a return to Saratoga, where she finished second in two Grade 1 races last year, the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. He said that the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 6 at Saratoga might be a short turnaround for her in three weeks, but he hasn’t ruled it out as her yet.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.