Payson Can’t Part With Candy Ride Filly

Virginia Kraft Payson has a long history with the family of hip 1299 and, faced Sunday morning with the prospect of selling the yearling, she decided she would rather keep the daughter of Candy Ride (Arg) to race. Payson outbid bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt and signed the ticket on the filly at $650,000 in what sales officials later confirmed was a buy-back. 

“I wasn’t able to look at her as a yearling because of my injury,” Payson, walking with the help of a cane, recalled. “I last saw her as a foal. So when I saw her this morning, I decided to buy her back. Nobody wanted me to buy her back, but I made the decision this morning. I’ve been out of the racing business since I retired Ruthenia a year ago and I miss it. I missed having those butterflies in my stomach that you only get by owning a racehorse.” 

The yearling is out of Rutherienne (Pulpit), who won the 2007 GI Del Mar Oaks for Payson. The mare’s full-sister Ruthenia won the 2012 GIII Violet S. and was retired to Payson’s four-horse broodmare band last fall. Both of those mares are out of Payson’s stakes-winning homebred Ruthian (Rahy). Payson also raced the yearling’s third dam Adoryphar (Lyphard). 

“The family has been very close to me and they’ve all been very small,” Payson said. “Everybody said this was why she was in Book 2, because she was so small. I didn’t put Rutherienne in the sale because I knew she wouldn’t bring anything because of her size. But big things come in small packages and she has been just a gem for me.” 
Payson admitted she went further than planned in her bidding. 

“I had the reserve at $495,000 and I figured if she brings $500,000, I should let her go,” Payson smiled. “But you know how that goes.” 

Payson said the filly will ultimately go to the barn of trainer Christophe Clement, who also trained Rutherienne and Ruthenia. 

“She’ll go to Payson Park to one of the yearling trainers there and she’ll eventually go to Christophe Clement, who trained all of them and knows about this family,” Payson commented. “He’ll be shocked when he hears I bought her back.” 

Rutherienne’s Empire Maker filly sold for $400,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September sale and her Street Cry (Ire) filly brought $300,000 at this sale a year ago. Rutherienne produced a filly by Tiznow this spring and was bred back to Kitten’s Joy. Ruthenia was bred this year to Candy Ride.-JM