Cosmic Candy Girl upsets Suzie O'Cain in front-running fashion
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − The gameplan, according to trainer James Ryerson, was to take Cosmic Candy Girl back off the pace in Thursday’s $200,000 Suzie O’Cain Stakes at Saratoga. Instead, the 26-1 outsider found herself on the lead, a position she never relinquished en route to a convincing 3 1/2-length victory over fellow longshot Considerate City (10-1) in the 1 1/16-mile turf test for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies.
Cosmic Candy Girl was over looked in the wagering for the Suzie O’Cain, despite the fact she came into the race having finished worse than third but once in seven lifetime starts. She was a narrowly-beaten second in her only previous stakes outing, the Key Cents, in her 2-year-old finale last fall at Aqueduct. Although her Beyer Speed Figures did pale in comparison to her rivals, and she was getting a new rider, Christopher Elliott, for the race.
Cosmic Candy Girl was eager to run from the outset, dragging Elliott to the front as the field passed the wire the first time before quickly opening a daylight advantage around the clubhouse turn. Cosmic Candy Girl then rated kindly on the lead, remained three lengths to the good upon settling into the stretch, and was never seriously threatened thereafter, while kept under a vigorous hand ride through the final furlong.
Considerate City trailed from the outset, was still last turning into the stretch before finishing willingly down the center of the course to best New York Special by a nose to be second best. Nashika flattened out late to finish fourth after making a menacing run while widest into the stretch. The previously undefeated pair of All of It, the 6-5 favorite, and Celtic Dawn brought up the rear of the scratch reduced and compact lineup.
Cosmic Candy Girl, a daughter of Twirling Candy, is trained by Ryerson for DiRico Racing and Breeding LLC. She completed the distance over a firm course in 1:42.42 and paid $55.62 for her second career win and first this season.
“I saw her best racing coming this year,” said Ryerson. “I didn’t know it was going to be this good, but she just got here 18-20 days ago, re-united with the rider who galloped her here last year for us and just loves Saratoga. It’s the subtle things that can make a major difference in a horse.”
Ryerson admitted the strategy going into the race was for Elliott to take the filly back off the early leaders.
“We wanted to take her back but when she breaks clear like that, if he [Elliott] tried to do that her head’s going to go up in the sky. He did the right thing. He went to Plan B. Actually the two races I’ve won at this meet both were Plan B. We were worried she’d been stopping, but they came to her and she kept going. All the little things segue into that. She was just a different horse today.”
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