Candy’ Is Best, ‘Bar’ None

   The second of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools closed Saturday afternoon, a little more than an hour prior to the start of the GII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. C R K Stable homebred Candy Boy (Candy Ride {Arg}), exiting a runner-up effort behind Eclipse Award winner Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI CashCall Futurity Dec. 14, closed at odds of 32-1, and, if his confident half-length victory over Chitu (Henny Hughes) is any indication of future performance, those who backed him got terrific value. Ridden patiently from fourth by Gary Stevens as “TDN Rising Star” Diamond Bachelor (War Front), Chitu and GIII Sham S. hero Midnight Hawk (Midnight Lute) set the table just ahead of him, Candy Boy was steered out wide for the drive and needed the length of the stretch, but was along late and galloped out well past his rivals. “He’s the number one draft choice for me,” said Stevens. “That was quite a performance he just put on against some pretty nice 3-year-olds. Everybody was all over Midnight Hawk and we just got to sit back and be quiet the last few weeks. He’s been giving us all the right signals in the morning. I had high expectations coming into today and he pulled through and surpassed those expectations.” 

Saturday, Santa Anita 
ROBERT B. LEWIS S.-GII, $200,500, SAX, 2-8, 3yo, 
1 1/16m, 1:41 4/5, ft. 
1–#@CANDY BOY, 118, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg) 
     1st Dam: She’s An Eleven, by In Excess (Ire) 
     2nd Dam: She’s a Sensation, by Flying Sensation 
     3rd Dam: Fabulous Ballet, by Moscow Ballet 
O-C R K Stable; B-Lee & Susan Searing (KY); T-John 
W Sadler; J-Gary L Stevens. $120,000. Lifetime 
Record: 6-2-2-0, $305,600. Werk Nick Rating: A++. 
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 
2–Chitu, 118, c, 3, Henny Hughes–Sea Gift, by A.P. 
Indy. ($67,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP; $300,000 2yo ‘13 
OBSMAR). O-Tanma Corporation; B-Tom Evans, 
Macon Wilmil Equines & Marjac Farms (KY); T-Bob 
Baffert. $40,000. 
3–Midnight Hawk, 120, c, 3, Midnight Lute–Miss 
Wineshine, by Wolf Power (SAf). O-Hill ‘n’ Dale 
Equine Holdings Inc (J G Sikura), Kitchen, Pegram, et 
al; B-Michael E Pegram (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $24,000. 
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 2.30, 4.50, 1.30. 
Also Ran: Diamond Bachelor, Home Run Kitten, Cool Samurai, El Nino Terrible. 
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. 
   Candy Boy debuted with a fourth to subsequent SW & GISP Can the Man (Into Mischief) at Del Mar Aug. 17 and filled the same spot behind New Year’s Day (Street Cry {Ire})–who would go on to win the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile–two weeks later. Second when favored in a one-mile Santa Anita maiden won by “TDN Rising Star” Tap It Rich (Tapit) here Oct. 12, the homebred broke through by 8 1/2 lengths at Hollywood Nov. 22 and completed the CashCall exacta for his sire, holding on for second after launching a huge middle move from 10th. As well as he ran, Candy Boy was even stronger past the wire, his jockey said. “I mean, during the gallop-out you’re still checking all the gauges and his were all still on full,” the Hall of Famer stated. “Further will be better for him, he’s really matured mentally. He’s very intelligent and that’s what separates these horses from the mediocre horses. The lessons he learned over wintertime paid off and I don’t think we’re even halfway there yet with him.”