Danzing Candy Records San Luis Rey Move

Back where he first learned to be a racehorse at San Luis Rey Training Center, Danzing Candy put in a surprisingly fast workout—at least to trainer Cliff Sise—in his first drill since his fourth-place finish the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I).

The Twirling Candy   colt covered five furlongs in 1:00 flat at the Bonsall, Calif. training center in north San Diego County, with a gallop out to 1:12 flat according to Sise's stopwatch.

"Unbelievable," Sise said. "He was supposed to go 1:01 and went in 1:00 easy. He went almost :13 for the first eighth and the last half-mile was in :47. I think he likes it down here."

Sise brings all of his 2-year-olds up at San Luis Rey, and decided to have the Halo Farms homebred—who is owned in partnership with Jim and Dianne Bashor—return to record his two workout preps for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) instead of at Santa Anita Park, because the sandier surface more resembles Churchill Downs.

"I can't believe how good he worked," Sise said. "He's been happier down here than at Santa Anita. Maybe he likes the fresh air."

Sise was somewhat unsure heading into the Saturday session about what kind of work he'd get from Danzing Candy a full two weeks after the San Felipe (gr. II) winner came out of the Santa Anita Derby, in which he set blazing fractions and tired. The colt will log one more work at San Luis Rey April 30 before shipping to Kentucky.

"I didn't really know how he'd work today, but he did it really comfortable," Sise said. "Next week, we'll look for almost the same—maybe a little slower."