Candy Boy took another major step toward a start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) when he rallied in the Santa Anita homestretch to edge the very game Chitu by a half-length.
Coming off of a strong runner-up effort in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) last December, Candy Boy was sent off as the second choice at 2.30-1 in a field of seven. Starting from the rail, Candy Boy saved ground early on under jockey Gary Stevens while racing in fourth, two lengths behind pace-setting Diamond Bachelor. Chitu was racing on the outside in second, followed closely by El Nino Terrible and favored Midnight Hawk, the latter having gotten away a bit slowly before becoming a bit rank during the early stages of the race.
Through fractions of :23.33, :46.80, and 1:10.84, the positions remained relatively unchanged. But as the field made their way into the homestretch, Chitu moved up to take command from Diamond Bachelor, with Midnight Hawk driving into contention on the far outside. Those two were separated by just a head passing the eighth pole, but then Candy Boy came running widest of all, gobbling up ground with impressive strides to catch Chitu in deep stretch and win the race in good fashion. The final time for 1 1/16th miles was a quick 1:41.83 seconds.
Chitu held on well to finish second in an excellent performance, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Midnight Hawk, who tired a bit in deep stretch. Diamond Bachelor, Home Run Kitten, Cool Samurai, and El Nino Terrible completed the order of finish.
Candy Boy is a son of Candy Ride out of the In Excess mare She's an Eleven. Trained by John Sadler and owned by C R K Stable, Candy Boy's victory earned him 10 Kentucky Derby qualification points, which currently ranks him ninth on the list of point standings as of February 9th. Chitu earned 4 points for his runner-up effort, while Midnight Hawk and Diamond Bachelor earned 2 and 1 points, respectively.
-Keelerman
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