Capt. Candyman Can elevated to first in King’s Bishop

Vineyard Haven (gray) bore out and hit Capt. Candyman Can hard (EquiSport Photos) The Godolphin juggernaut that had already bagged wins in the Ballerina S. (G1) and Victory Ride S. (G3) on Saturday’s Travers Day undercard at Saratoga had its momentum halted in the $300,000 King’s Bishop S. (G1), when a victory by Vineyard Haven (Lido Palace [Chi]) was overturned by the stewards after the gray colt bore out badly into CAPT. CANDYMAN CAN (Candy Ride [Arg]) in the final sixteenth. The view from the head-on shot was fairly cut and dried, and Joseph Rauch and David Zells bay gelding was elevated to first after a quick review. The 7-2 third choice in the field, Capt. Candyman Can returned $9.80, $4.50 and $3.30 while topping the $52 exacta and $121.50 trifecta (3-1-2). Vineyard Haven, the nation’s leading juvenile on dirt last season, was making only his second start since October 4 and his first since February here, but proved surprisingly fresh throughout. Rushing up from his inside post, the 5-1 fourth choice held a slight lead over entrymate Everyday Heroes (Awesome Again) through splits of :22 and :44 3/5. Capt. Candyman Can, meanwhile, bided his time in seventh through the opening half, then made a five-wide bid for the lead turning for home. Vineyard Haven opened up a 1 1/2-length advantage with a furlong left but was soon joined by Capt. Candyman Can, who appeared ready to pass the long-time leader before the bumping stalled his advance. Under Alan Garcia’s left-handed urging, Vineyard Haven bore out several times into his rival and eventually crossed the wire a head in front in a time of 1:22 1/5 for seven furlongs over the sloppy going.

“(Alan Garcia) came out and he bumped twice into me and my horse,” winning
jockey Javier Castellano said. “He hit my horse right in the shoulder and caused
him to lose his momentum and he still only got beat a head.”

“I’ll take it any way I can get it,” winning trainer Ian Wilkes said. “I’m
going to enjoy today. Life is good right now.”

“I’m very proud — I mean, he won the race, it’s just too bad it happened
like it did,” said Saeed bin Suroor, the trainer of Vineyard Haven. “It was just
an accident. The jockey tried to keep him straight — he tried to pull him over
two or three times. It’s just one of those things that happens in races.”

After the disqualification, Vineyard Haven gave back $5.80 and $3.40.
Munnings (Speightstown), the 9-5 favorite, saved ground throughout but failed to
show the same inside punch he demonstrated when capturing the Woody Stephens S.
(G2) and Tom Fool H. (G2) earlier this season. After passing the line 4 1/2
lengths adrift of Capt. Candyman Can, the chalk returned $2.60. Next across the
wire were Despite the Odds (Speightstown), Not for Silver (Not for Love), Big
Drama (Montbrook), Flat Bold (Flatter), Everyday Heroes and Prince Joshua (First
Tour).

Capt. Candyman Can kicked off his career a little more than a year ago with a
seven-length romp at Saratoga, then finished sixth in the Arlington-Washington
Futurity (G3) in his only start on synthetic. He rebounded to take the Iroquois
S. (G3) by three lengths before tiring late to third in the Kentucky Jockey Club
S. (G2). Throwing in only one clunker this season when a distant fourth in the
one-mile Fountain of Youth S. (G2), Capt. Candyman Can has otherwise been in
excellent form, taking the Hutcheson S. (G2), Bay Shore S. (G3) and Matt Winn S.
In his start prior to the King’s Bishop, Capt. Candyman Can was a sharp second
behind Quality Road (Elusive Quality), who set a 6 1/2-furlong track record in
taking the Amsterdam S. (G2). Capt. Candyman Can has now bankrolled $620,423
from a mark of 10-6-1-1.

Bred in Kentucky by Lantern Hill Farm, Rauch and Zell, Capt. Candyman Can is
the first foal to start from the stakes-winning Storm Creek mare Stormy Way, and
counts the juvenile filly Marejada (Roman Ruler), a yearling colt by Purge and a
2009 colt by Closing Argument as half-siblings. He passed through the sales ring
at the 2007 Keeneland September sale, bringing a winning bid of $25,000.

Other notables in the family include dual Hong Kong champion sprinter Mr
Vitality (Snippets), Group 1 victress Savana City (New Regent) and Group 2
winner Rose o’ War (Danehill).