Candy Ride, a perennial leading sire represented by multiple Eclipse Award champions, has accomplished much in his stud career. One of the few things he has yet to check off is siring an American classic winner, and he will get another chance this Saturday, as Rock Your World, a troubled 17th in the Kentucky Derby, returns for the Belmont Stakes. Rock Your World will have to contend with Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer – by Candy Ride’s son and barnmate Twirling Candy, who beat his own father to the distinction of becoming a classic sire. Both Rock Your World and Rombauer have shown stamina and have excelled on multiple surfaces, showcasing the hallmarks of this sireline. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales Candy Ride, a champion miler in his native Argentina, won the Grade 2 American Handicap on turf in the U.S., then proved his mettle in Grade 1 dirt racing, winning the 2003 Pacific Classic in track-record time for the classic 1 1/4-mile distance. He concluded his career a perfect 6 for 6, retiring to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm for 2005 before moving to Lane’s End Farm beginning with the 2010 season. Candy Ride’s hallmark as a sire has been the stamina on the main track that he showed in the Pacific Classic, as evidenced by his Eclipse Award champions Gun Runner and Shared Belief. Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, won six Grade 1 races on dirt, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup. Shared Belief’s five Grade 1 wins included triumphs at 1 1/4 miles on both dirt and synthetic, in the Santa Anita Handicap and Pacific Classic. Candy Ride is also the sire of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse champion Game Winner, and of Santa Anita Handicap winner Misremembered. Candy Ride’s progeny have shown great versatility, as evidenced by runners such as Sidney’s Candy, who won races from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, and was a graded stakes winner on dirt, turf, and synthetic. Rock Your World won the Pasadena Stakes on turf before moving to dirt to win the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, propelling himself into the Kentucky Derby. Also in this mold was Twirling Candy, who scored his biggest win in the Grade 1 Malibu at seven furlongs on dirt, and also won the Strub on dirt and the Californian on synthetic, both Grade 2 stakes at 1 1/8 miles, and the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby routing on turf. He has proven similarly versatile as a stallion, with stakes performers sprinting and routing on both turf and dirt. The stamina of his line has succeeded through runners such as Santa Anita Handicap winner Gift Box and turf female Concrete Rose, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks at 1 1/4 miles and the Saratoga Oaks at 1 3/16 miles. Twirling Candy also is the sire of Grade 1-winning sprinters Collusion Illusion and Finley’sluckycharm. Twirling Candy recorded his fifth Grade 1 winner with the versatile Rombauer, a winner on turf and winner of the El Camino Real Derby on synthetic before taking the Preakness Stakes. :: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, past performances, analysis, and more Meanwhile, Lane’s End has continued to invest in this sireline. Standing alongside Candy Ride and Twirling Candy in Kentucky are Candy Ride’s son Unified, a freshman sire this season who has already recorded a winner, and Game Winner and Gift Box, who entered stud this season. Unified is part of a strong hand for this line in the 2021 freshman class. Gun Runner, standing at Three Chimneys, has two winners from his highly anticipated first crop to rank among the early leaders in this class. Twirling Candy’s son Danzing Candy, standing in California, recently recorded his first winner, while Candy Ride’s son Mastery, standing at Claiborne Farm, waits in the wings.