Sidney’s Candy rolls to easy win in off-the-turf Sir Beaufort

Sidney’s Candy rolls to easy win in off-the-turf Sir
Beaufort

Sidney’s Candy was a class apart (Benoit Photos) Sunday’s $150,000 Sir Beaufort S. (G3) at Santa Anita was transferred from turf to dirt, but the surface switch made little difference to SIDNEY’S CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]), who seized control out of the gate and dominated four overmatched rivals in wire-to-wire fashion. After establishing opening splits of :22 2/5, :45 and 1:08 2/5 on a short lead, the Craig Family Trust homebred extended his margin through the stretch while under little pressure from Joel Rosario, completing a mile over the fast track in 1:33 3/5. Favored at 1-5, the John Sadler-trained colt paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10 for the 7 1/4-length decision. “He’s a really good horse and he likes to run free and easy,” Rosario said. “Even though he went fast fractions, he just kept going. When we went to the first turn, I could hear Trevor (Denman) say we made an easy lead. The fractions were fast and he maybe got a little bit tired at the end. He’s a good horse and he’s improved every time he runs.”

Indian Firewater (Indian Charlie) tracked Sidney’s Candy through the early
stages and held second after being left far behind in the stretch, returning
$2.60 and $2.60 as the 9-2 second choice. Nextdoorneighbor (Lido Palace [Ire])
was a half-length back in third at 9-1 and gave back $3.40. Stephen’s Got
Hope (Stephen Got Even) and Blue Panis (Fr) (Panis) came next under the wire. The $1 exotics totaled $3.10 (exacta), $7.20 (trifecta) and $16.70 (5-6-2-7
superfecta).

Accelerant (Unusual Heat), Bogie (Ire) (Pivotal), Make Music for Me
(Bernstein) and Sebastian Flyte (GB) (Observatory) were all scratched after the
race was moved to the main track, and the Sir Beaufort was automatically downgraded to Grade 3 status, pending a
review by the American Graded Stakes Committee, due to the surface change.

Sidney’s Candy notched his fifth stakes victory on Sunday. He made his
black-type debut a winning one in the San Vicente S. (G2) in mid-February and stamped himself
as a leading player on the Triple Crown trail with convincing scores in the San
Felipe S. (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride this spring.
However, nothing went right for him when trying dirt in the Kentucky Derby (G1), as
the chestnut struggled home a well-beaten 17th following a troubled trip from
post 20.

Freshened 2 1/2 months, Sidney’s Candy returned with a head second in the
Swaps S. (G2) on the Cushion Track at Hollywood Park. He made a smashing turf
bow in the August 14 La Jolla H. (G2) at Del Mar, winning by 5 1/2 lengths, and
then stepped up in class for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) off a nearly three-month
freshening. Sidney’s Candy set the pace to the top of the stretch at Churchill
Downs before eventually weakening to sixth, three lengths behind Goldikova (Ire)
(Anabaa). The Kentucky-bred has now earned $803,560 from a 11-6-2-0 line.

Sidney’s Candy was produced by the Storm Cat mare Fair Exchange, and he has a
yearling full brother named Sweet Swap. Fair Exchange is the only foal from
multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Exchange (Explodent), who captured such
major events as the Matriarch S. (G1), Santa Barbara H. (G1), Santa Ana H. (G1),
La Canada S. (G2), El Encino S. (G2), Orchid H. (G2) and Chula Vista H. (G2).
This is the family of Australian Group 1 victor Blue Murder (Bluebird) and a
pair of Canadian champions in Steady Growth (Briartic) and Kingsbridge
(Icecapade).