Candy Overload notches sweet surprise in Forego Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Candy Overload emerged with the upset victory in Saturday night’s $125,000 Forego Stakes at Turfway Park as heavy favorite Visitant hung late to finish fourth.
Candy Overload ($14.42) and Luan Machado were seventh in the field of eight with just more than a quarter-mile remaining in the sprint for older horses. However, they had just more than three lengths to make up in the tightly bunched pack as Machado swung the gelding five wide for the drive.
Meanwhile, up front, Here Mi Song had taken over the lead from fading pacesetter Pole Setter, and was grimly holding off Visitant by a head. The favorite’s bid fizzled out, but Candy Overload continued gamely to the wire. He swept past Here Mi Song in the final yards to win by half a length.
Candy Overload stopped the clock in 1:16.49 for the 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta.
Here Mi Song held second by a nose over second choice Night Time, who had jumped a shadow late. They were 4 1/2 lengths clear of Visitant, a four-time stakes winner at Turfway who was finishing out of the top three for the first time at the track. The favorite was followed, in order, by Be Here, Bandit Swanson, Midnight Escape, and Pole Setter.
Candy Overload, a 5-year-old Ontario-bred, was making his first start at Turfway after a successful career racing at Woodbine to this point. Stakes-placed as a juvenile in 2020, he stepped up to a higher level to finish second in the Grade 3 Bold Venture last August, beaten half a length. He was then transferred from trainer Krista Cole-Simpson to Mark Casse, and in his second start for that dual-country Hall of Famer, won the Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes.
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