This is a brief description of CANDY RIDE (RIDE THE RAILS) as a sire, having recently produced another Group 1 winner in the United States in GEAUX ROCKET RIDE, recent winner of the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1). This protégé of Richard Mandella, traveled from California to New Jersey and became the eighteenth Group 1 winner for the Argentine sire and is now part of a list of names such as GUN RUNNER (dam by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY), SHARED BELIEF (dam by STORM CAT), GAME WINNER (dam by A.P. INDY), VEKOMA (dam by SPEIGHTSTOWN), TWIRLING CANDY (dam by CHESTER HOUSE), amongst others. All 18 of these Group 1 winners were in the United States and CANDY RIDE had a small number of runners in other countries such as a Group 2 winner in Argentina in CELESTIAL CANDY (dam by UNBRIDLED’S SONG).
CANDY RIDE gained its place in the American market according to the positive results at the racetrack from its runners over the years, since in addition to being a foreign horse, it did not show consistency in its production for a purely commercial purpose. He has undoubtedly sold colts and fillies for impressive prices, but they are generally speaking not the extremely attractive physical type that attracts big prices at the sales ring. He has had good results in recent years at the sales, but it took him a while to gain the confidence of the market, having to prove at the racetrack that he was capable of producing runners. CANDY RIDE is a sire that maintains consistent results on the track with its progeny and is also beginning to show results as a broodmare sire. Last year we had the good EPICENTER (NOT THIS TIME-GIANT’S CAUSEWAY), with CANDY RIDE as a broodmare sire, who won the Travers Stakes (G1) and started this 2023 season as a stud at Coolmore America. At the moment, CANDY RIDE has 7 Group 1 winners as a broodmare sire, with emphasis on the aforementioned EPICENTER, the excellent runner SEARCH RESULTS (FLATTER) and the horse STRATEGOS (ZENSATIONAL) who dominated in Argentina at different distances.
CANDY RIDE has always demonstrated an affinity with the STORM CAT (STORM BIRD) line, having produced several outstanding offspring from this crossing. It is not the best performance in percentage, but it has significant names such as the new star as sire in GUN RUNNER (dam by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY-STORM CAT), SHARED BELIEF (dam by STORM CAT), the winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) SYDNEY’S CANDY (dam by STORM CAT), EVITA ARGENTINA (dam by FOREST WILDCAT-STORM CAT) and CAPT. CANDYMAN CAN (dam by STORM CREEK-STORM CAT). All of those mentioned are Group 1 winners and the list continues with Group 2 and 3 winners. In total there were 200 animals in this crossing, including 19 Stakes winners.
Another cross that was successful was with the daughters of the SEATTLE SLEW line through his sons A.P. INDY and others such as OLD TRIESTE (A.P. INDY), STROLL (PULPIT), MINESHAFT and BERNARDINI (both also by A.P. INDY). In this cross, there were 171 runners with 21 Stakes winners, with emphasis on the winner of 3 Group 1 races and current sire at Lane’s End Farm GAME WINNER and another Group 1 winner in MASTERY who so far has been underachieving as a stallion.
Another son of CANDY RIDE who is an interesting stallion is TWIRLING CANDY. A horse with a little more temperament than normal as he showed in his campaign, but he produced 8 Group 1 winners and stands at the same farm as CANDY RIDE and GAME WINNER. When talking about CANDY’S RIDE offspring, we cannot fail to mention GUN RUNNER that recently had his first generation hitting the tracks and an extraordinary success with 6 Group 1 winners which are: ECHO ZULU, TAIBA, CYBERKNIFE, GUNITE, SOCIETY and EARLY VOTING. These results caused the price of its stud fee to reach the highest level in the United States. GUN RUNNER has always been an exceptional horse since he was born and stood out physically from his counterparts at every stage of his life.
Last year CANDY RIDE covered 132 mares, showing us that despite being 24 years old we will still have a few generations to see at the races. Without a doubt, his influence will continue not only through the sire line through his sons and daughters, but also as a broodmare sire, with the increase of the number of his females going to the breeding shed. This number was very small 5 years ago, but it has acquired an important volume especially in the last two years when there are more than 450 runners per year in the world as a broodmare sire. It is a very interesting story of a horse that started in the “cuadreras” (short match races) in Argentina, won a Grade 1 in San Isidro, won a Grade 1 in the USA and was successful at the breeding shed.