Candidate Remains Perfect on Turf in Dania Beach
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Candidate wins the Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Mark Grier's Candidate remained undefeated on turf with a comfortable 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park, where the Arnaud Delacour-trained colt was never seriously challenged in the mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds.
Candidate, who had previously broken his maiden in his second lifetime start in his turf debut at Laurel Park before rolling to an optional claiming allowance triumph at Tampa Bay Downs, broke alertly from the starting gate and was in cruise control on the lead under Tyler Gaffalione before kicking clear in the stretch.
"Everything went to plan. He broke alertly, put himself in a good spot, and relaxed nicely on the front end," said Gaffalione, who notched career Win No. 1994 aboard the son of Exaggerator . "Going into the second turn I just asked him to pick it up and he just kept finding. It was a really good performance today."
Candidate ($17.20) set fractions of :23.41 and :47.89 for the first half-mile before six furlongs in 1:11.61. He finished a mile on firm turf in 1:34.71. Major Dude , the even-money favorite, finished second two lengths ahead of a tracking Worthington .
"It pretty much set up the way it would set up. The horse has a lot of natural speed. He broke well and made the lead, and Tyler put him in a nice rhythm," Delacour said.
Candidate debuted with a seventh-place finish in a 1 1/8-mile off-the-turf maiden special weight race over a sloppy main track at Laurel before now having scored thrice consecutively on turf by a combined 8 1/2 lengths.
"We bought him at the (2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic) sale at Timonium. We were not quite sure if we were going to go turf or dirt," Delacour said. "After his workouts, it was pretty obvious he was working better on the Tapeta at Fair Hill, so it made a lot of sense to try him on the turf."
Delacour isn't likely to give in to the temptation of putting the abundantly talented 3-year-old back on dirt.
"We've had some pretty good work at Tampa, and he doesn't give me the feeling," Delacour said. "His knees are a little higher on the dirt than on the turf."
Bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm and Thoroughbred Acadiana, Candidate is out of the dual stakes-winning Pure Prize mare Navy Ribbon , who has two winners from as many to race.
Video: Dania Beach S. (BT)
Cairo Consort Holds Off Challengers in Ginger Brew
Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing's Cairo Consort paid immediate dividends for her new connections, surging past Erna in midstretch and holding off a late challenge from Stephanie's Charm to win the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes.
The 12th running of the Ginger Brew for fillies was the second of two one-mile turf stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds following Candidate's front-running victory in the $100,000 Dania Beach.
Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, both named Saturday as Eclipse Award finalists for 2022, Cairo Consort ($3) completed the distance in 1:35.80 over a firm turf course as the 1-2 favorite.
She was purchased for $875,000 at The November Sale from the consignor of her breeder, Frankfort Park Farm. This followed a juvenile campaign in which she won two of six starts for trainer Nathan Squires and owner Maple Lane Farm, including the Catch a Glimpse Stakes at Woodbine. She also was second in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) there and third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland.
"Everything we had done with her had been on the dirt, so we were kind of knowing we have a turf filly and watching her train on the dirt," Pletcher said. "She trains fine on the dirt, but clearly she's better on the turf. I felt like we had her ready enough to go, and we didn't want to overdo it. It's the first race of the year, and we were happy with the outcome."
Cairo Consort wins the Ginger Brew Stakes
Reluctant to load in the starting gate, Cairo Consort broke well and raced in fourth as 40-1 long shot Showgirl Lynne B , a stakes winner on the Tapeta last summer at Gulfstream, was in front from the rail through splits of :23.15 and :47.75 pressed by Erna, making her stakes debut, and Isabel Alexandra .
"It was a perfect trip," Ortiz said. "She was close to the leaders, and then a took a hold and she relaxed real well behind horses. At the three-eighths pole, I asked her to start going forward, and she did. She responded every time I asked her. Turning for home, she opened up by a half-length, and then when she felt the horse outside, she was there. She had a little more in the tank."
Cairo Consort crossed the wire a half-length ahead of Stephanie's Charm , with Navy Goat another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Erna held on by a neck over Isabel Alexandra for fourth, and they were followed by Showgirl Lynne B, Lady Azteca, and Bel Pensiero . Anna Karenine was scratched.
"It was interesting talking to Irad afterward. He said he felt like he had a lot more horse, and she kind of idled a little bit when she made the lead," Pletcher said. "When that horse came to her, she had a little more."
Cairo Consort is out of the Street Cry mare Absolutely Awesome , who has three winners from three foals to race. The dam's last foal is a 2-year-old Tonalist filly named Accomplished.