As if that weren’t enough of a landmark, Twirling Candy completed a sweep of
Joel Rosario was aboard all three, so for the 12th time, a jockey turned a
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“John made a million-dollar move on Thursday by sending the three horses to
Hollywood Park to breeze them,” Benavidez said. “That might have helped in the
cause. But we have three Grade 1 horses, so we were pretty confident going into
today.
“As you can tell, I lost my voice,” he said regarding the three straight
graded wins. “I’m excited. It’s just a fabulous day.”
When the gate opened on the Malibu, Smiling Tiger zipped right to the front
from his far outside post, but the long-striding Alcindor (Unbridled’s Song)
soon got organized and gained a slim lead. Alcindor rattled off splits of :22
3/5 and :44 3/5 on the fast dirt, which had been yielding exceptionally quick
times all day. Smiling Tiger was glued to his flank and applied unrelenting
pressure throughout, while lukewarm 3-1 favorite Noble’s Promise (Cuvee) tracked
in third. Twirling Candy, who had been reserved in fourth, steadily began to
work his way forward.
Turning into the stretch, Smiling Tiger wrested control from Alcindor, and he
edged away by a length through six furlongs in a blazing 1:07 2/5. Then Twirling
Candy bore down on the outside. Smiling Tiger dug down and fought to keep his
head in front, but Twirling Candy was implacable. Under tender handling by
Rosario, Twirling Candy proved slightly the stronger in the final yards, and won
the verdict by a nose. Although it’s not strictly comparable because of the
different surface, Twirling Candy’s final time was also faster than Indian
Blessing’s clocking of 1:19 4/5 for seven furlongs on the old Cushion Track in
2008 (before the installation of Pro-Ride).
“I wanted to wait until the last minute to make my move, and he responded
really well when I asked him,” Rosario said. He’s starting to improve a little
more; we’ll see what happens later on. The track is staying consistent, but when
you’re on the best horse like Twirling Candy, it’s no surprise that he ran that
fast.”
Benavidez admitted that he had expected Twirling Candy to be closer to the
pace going down the backstretch.
“Probably the first quarter-mile, yes,” the assistant trainer commented, “but
Joel (Rosario) was loaded, so I wasn’t worried at all. This horse is a freak.
“At the half-mile pole, I was super-confident.
Dispatched as the slight second choice at 7-2, Twirling Candy returned $9,
$5.40 and $4 to his loyalists, who weren’t dissuaded by his first career loss in
the October 2 Goodwood S. (G1) last time out. Smiling Tiger, the 5-1 fourth
choice, yielded $6 and $4 for his agonizing near-miss.
“The horse did everything he could to win the race,” jockey Russell Baze said
of Smiling Tiger. “He just ran a brilliant race for me. It’s just the track was
about this much too long.”
The top two were well clear of the rest. The 5-1 Caracortado (Cat Dreams)
rallied for third, another 3 1/2 lengths astern, and paid $5.60. Alcindor, the
7-2 third choice, was just deprived of the show spot by a head. The $1 exotics
totaled $25 (exacta), $155.30 (trifecta) and $445.70 superfecta (9-11-4-2).
Noble’s Promise tired to fifth, followed by Thiskyhasnolimit (Sky Mesa), Setsuko
(Pleasantly Perfect), Don Tito (Trippi), Thomas Baines (Johannesburg), Paris
Vegas (Maria’s Mon) and Our Minesweeper (Cause Ur Mine).
Now five-for-six lifetime, Twirling Candy has earned $459,900. The striking
dark bay was a front-running debut winner going seven furlongs on Hollywood’s
Cushion Track last November, but was sidelined by sore shins for the next six
months. Twirling Candy reappeared at the Inglewood, California, track in a May
29 allowance/optional claiming sprint and dusted his foes by 7 3/4 lengths.
Sadler then stretched him out to two turns and switched him to the grass for the
July 21 Oceanside S. on Del Mar’s opening day, and the big colt rallied to a
sharp 2 1/4-length decision. Twirling Candy was even more dominant in the
September 5 Del Mar Derby (G2), where he ducked out badly, rolled by 3 1/4
lengths, and survived an inquiry to keep the victory.
Reverting to Cushion Track for the aforementioned Goodwood, the sophomore was
bet down to 3-5 favoritism in his first try versus older horses, but weakened
uncharacteristically and faded to fourth. That setback ruled him out of a
projected tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Sadler freshened him with an
eye toward the Malibu, and his highly-regarded colt had been training sharply in
preparation.
The Kentucky-bred is the first registered foal from the Chester House mare
House of Danzing, who has also produced two full siblings to the winner — an
unraced juvenile filly named Dulcito and a yearling colt named Treasure Ride —
as well as a weanling colt by Tribal Rule. Twirling Candy comes from the family
of Grade 3 victor and multiple Grade 1-placed Chocolate Candy (Candy Ride [Arg]).
Further back in the female line, one finds 1978 Triple Crown legend Affirmed
(Exclusive Native).