Candy Boy strikes in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

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

Triple Crown Countdown 2-7-14

Saturday marks the second stop on California's road to the Kentucky Derby, as seven lightly-raced three-year-olds head to the Santa Anita starting gate for the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II), which will offer a total of 17 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top four finishers. For some, this race will be just another stop on the road to Churchill Downs. For others, it may be the final stop.

Let's take a look at who's running!

Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II)

The morning line favorite is Bob Baffert's Midnight Hawk, who won the Sham Stakes (gr. III) last month here at Santa Anita following a race-long duel with Kristo. It was the most impressive of performances, giving that he ran his final quarter in :25.96 seconds and drifted in through the stretch, but since it was just his second start -- and his first on dirt -- those shortcomings are easily forgivable. From post position three, Midnight Hawk should be able to work out a nice trip either leading early or stalking the pace, depending on how eager Diamond Bachelor is from post position two.

Not only does Bob Baffert train the favorite, he trains the third choice on the morning line as well, that being Chitu, who -- like Midnight Hawk -- is unbeaten in two starts. But unlike Midnight Hawk, both of those races were at six furlongs, meaning that for Chitu to win the Robert B. Lewis, he will have to do so in his first start around two turns. However, it's entirely possible that Chitu will prove capable of doing just that, for in his allowance victory last time out, he tracked the early pace before coming on to win by a half-length in the excellent time of 1:08.86 seconds. A son of Henny Hughes out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift, Chitu will have plenty of options while starting from the far outside post position, and seems to have the versatility to adapt to whatever pace scenario presents itself.

On paper, Midnight Hawk and Chitu look to be the two early leaders, and since they're both trained by Bob Baffert, I can't imagine that they will engage in a destructive duel for the early lead. However, the wild card in this assumption may be Diamond Bachelor, from the barn of Patrick Biancone. The son of War Front made the first three starts of his career on turf, where he flashed extreme speed on a couple of occasions -- as well as a tendency to be a bit rank. He showed neither of those traits when making his dirt debut in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), in which he trailed the field more than halfway through the race before rallying mildly at the finish. It's hard to say what went wrong that day, but he's been training sharply for his return, and could make things difficult for Midnight Hawk and Chitu if he sets his sights on securing the early lead.

With that in mind, Candy Boy -- the second choice on the morning line -- looms as the most likely winner of the race. Trained by John Sadler, Candy Boy began his career with a trio of defeats, then put it all together to break his maiden by 8 1/4 lengths going 1 1/16th miles at Hollywood in November. This impressive performance earned him a start in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), where Candy Boy unleashed a breathtaking mid-race move under jockey Gary Stevens to take the lead around the far turn. While Candy Boy was unable to sustain the move completely, he did hold on to finish second, 5 3/4 lengths behind Eclipse champion two-year-old Shared Belief. On the basis of that mid-race move alone, Candy Boy deserves respect, and with the possibility of a quick pace in front of him, Candy Boy looks primed for a very, very big effort on Saturday.

Rounding out the field are the recent maiden winners Home Run Kitten, Cool Samurai, and El Nino Terrible. The first-mentioned colt, a son of Kitten's Joy, broke his maiden sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita, and while the performance was a sharp one, this race marks not only his stakes debut, but his dirt debut as well. Cool Samurai put in a solid rally on December 27th to break his maiden over a mile at Santa Anita, despite having to close into rather slow fractions of :48.18 and 1:12.06. Like Candy Boy, Cool Samurai would appreciate a solid pace to run at, and with John Shirreffs as his trainer, you know this son of First Samurai is going to improve with time and experience. El Nino Terrible was very game in wiring a 1 1/16th miles maiden special weight at Santa Anita on January 17th, albeit with the benefit of setting a slow pace.

So with all that said, I believe that Candy Boy is going to get the job done from off-the-pace, with Midnight Hawk out-staying his stablemate and Diamond Bachelor to secure the place. I also feel that Cool Samurai has a ton of potential, and may be poised to leap on to the Derby trail with a top-three finish.

Other Races of Note

There aren't too many other interesting races for three-year-olds being run this weekend, but I am kind of excited about the second race at Santa Anita on Saturday, that being a six-furlong maiden special weight that drew a field of six. The morning line favorite is Little Curlin, a son of (who else?) Curlin that finished a strong third in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race here at Santa Anita last month. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Little Curlin should appreciate the extra sixteenth of a mile of Saturday's race, and his pedigree suggests that he could be especially effective around two turns. I look forward to seeing how he progresses during the coming months.

Little Curlin's primary opposition will likely come from Act, a first-time starter from the barn of John Sadler; and the Bob Baffert-trained pair of Pimpernel and Party Time, the latter a first-time starter that has been training exceptionally well.

Also on Saturday, Gulfstream will host a 1 1/16th miles maiden special weight for three-year-olds that has drawn a field of thirteen, including the H. James Bond-trained Legend, who finished fourth to Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) winner Vinceremos in a one-mile maiden race last month. Goodnewsisnonews, runner-up to the promising Baretti in an Aqueduct maiden race in January, is the morning line favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. Bay of Plenty and Ring Weekend are also expected to receive support in the wagering.

I'm also looking forward to a one-mile allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn on Sunday, which will feature impressive maiden winner Bitters 'n Bourbon attempting to take another step forward on the road to the Derby. All Call, who broke his maiden sprinting six furlongs at Oaklawn on January 25th, is another logical contender.

-Keelerman

Midnight Hawk faces six in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

Midnight Hawk, winner of the Sham Stakes (gr. III) in January, will attempt to take another major step toward the $2,000,000 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) when he faces six rivals in the 1 1/16th miles Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) on February 8th at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Bob Baffert, the son of Midnight Lute out of Miss Wineshine has drawn post position three. Unbeaten in two starts thus far, he will have regular rider Mike Smith in the saddle.

Midnight Hawk's primary opposition is expected to come from Candy Boy, runner-up to Eclipse champion Shared Belief in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I); Diamond Bachelor, winner of the Oak Tree Juvenile Stakes; and Chitu, who won a six-furlong allowance race at Santa Anita on December 27th in the blazing time of 1:08.86 seconds.

Recent maiden special weight winners Home Run Kitten, Cool Samurai, and El Nino Terrible complete the lineup.

Entries:
PP/Horse/Jockey/Trainer
1 Candy Boy/Gary Stevens/John Sadler
2 Diamond Bachelor/Julien Leparoux/Patrick Biancone
3 Midnight Hawk/Mike Smith/Bob Baffert
4 Home Run Kitten/Joe Talamo/Dave Hofmans
5 Cool Samurai/Corey Nakatani/John Shirreffs
6 El Nino Terrible/Edwin Maldonado/Peter Miller
7 Chitu/Martin Garcie/Bob Baffert

-Keelerman