Candied's burst of speed overcomes all obstacles in Alcibiades
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Moving from a debut victory to face winners in a second start demands a lot of a young horse. Circumstances become even more challenging if the second start comes in a route and the horse debuted in a sprint. Candied coped with all that and then some, capturing the Grade 1, $600,000 Alcibiades Stakes on Friday at Keeneland after a debut sprint win at Saratoga on Aug. 20.
She beat a good filly, V V’s Dream, to win the Alcibiades, sweeping past her with three-sixteenths of a mile left to race and going on to a one-length score. V V’s Dream, coming off an eye-catching win in the Pocahontas Stakes while making her fourth start, was second by nearly five lengths over surprise pacesetter Alys Beach, who stubbornly held third by a head over late-running Shimmering Allure.
“My biggest concern was not her talent level but just her lack of seasoning, especially running against some top-class fillies that had had steady campaigns,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Candied for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Quite an effort.”
The 1 1/16-mile Alcibiades is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and Candied now has automatic fees-paid entry into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Friday, she looked capable of contending in a race of that quality, and Candied clearly has ample room to develop.
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“She's improved pretty much every day throughout the course of the summer and the fall,” Pletcher said. “She’s still learning, still a little green, still a little late switching leads, but I thought it takes a pretty special filly to go from a maiden race into a Grade 1 like this.”
Candied didn’t ever switch leads Friday, but that didn’t matter as she swept past V V’s Dream coming off the turn in a race that ended at the sixteenth pole, a short stretch. Watch closely and you can see what Pletcher means about Candied being far from a finished product.
Candied broke alertly and jockey Luis Saez said he could have taken the filly to the lead had he desired, but Saez and Pletcher wanted Candied to come from behind, learn to take dirt, settle, and finish. Alys Beach, on the other hand, was ridden to lead from post 1, while strong second-choice Brightwork, who broke fastest, came up to race second, about a length behind the leader.
The pace was moderate, a half-mile in 48.25, and Candied didn’t hold her position without Saez staying slightly busy on his mount, keeping her in the game. Coming to the far turn, Candied was going more backward than forward, but after hitting the bend she started making serious progress.
Favored V V’s Dream had raced third, jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. keeping his mount a few paths off the rail and in the clear down the backstretch. V V’s Dream cruised up to Alys Beach and Brightwork before the quarter pole and began cornering for home looking like a sure winner. Suddenly, Candied was on top of her.
“I was out there floating along. I didn’t get caught flat-footed. I came off the turn and I was running, but that other filly, she just kind of swooped us,” Hernandez said.
V V’s Dream tried to fight back. Nothing doing. “Just second best today,” Hernandez said.
Brightwork lost for the first time following four sprint wins. She had no punch when V V’s Dream came to her and checked in fifth. Alpine Princess was antsy in the post parade and acted up in the gate, causing a brief delay to the start. She never got involved and checked in seventh. Emery was scratched to start Saturday in the Frizette at Aqueduct.
Candied was timed in 1:44.17 for the 8 1/2 furlongs on a fast track and paid $10.16 after taking plenty of late betting. Pletcher trained the filly’s dam, the Roaring Fever mare Toni Tools, who never ran as fast in her 10 starts as Candied did today. Candied, no surprise, is by Candy Ride.
Saez said Candied had shown talent from her first work at Saratoga this summer. Saez had to ride Candied hard in upper stretch to win at six furlongs, the filly more naturally a horse for longer distances.
The way she finished her breezes and galloped out told Pletcher that a stretch-out was what the filly wanted, and Pletcher said Candied had trained even better after her first race than before it.
Still, it took some gumption to send Candied into these challenging circumstances. Sweet move.
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