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Sidney’s Candy took the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and is by young sire sensation, Candy Ride (ARG) (TrueNicks,SRO). He follows Evita Argentina and Capt. Candyman Can as the third grade I winner by the sire from only ten starters out of mares by Storm Cat and his sons. Can we say “emerging nick” anyone?

He’s from the second crop of Candy Ride (a grandson of Cryptoclearance, out of a mare by Candy Stripes, and so a product of the influential Fappiano/Blushing Groom combination). Undefeated in six starts in Argentina and the U.S., Candy Ride shouldn’t raise any red flags as far a distance capacity is concerned, as he produced the performance of his life when defeating Medaglia d’Oro by 3 ¼ lengths for the Pacific Classic (gr. I), setting a 10 furlong track-record in the process. Of course, this was on dirt, and Sidney’s Candy’s pedigree would encourage one to believe that he can make a successful transition to that surface.
 
The dam, Fair Exchange, is out of the Explodent mare, Exchange, winner of the Matriarch Stakes (gr. I), Santa Ana Handicap (gr. I) and Santa Barbara Handicap (gr. I). Exchange is half-sister to the dam of South Australian Derby (gr. I) winner, Blue Murder, who stayed well, despite being by the sprinter, Bluebird (by Storm Bird, sire of Storm Cat).
 
Shortly before Sidney’s Candy’s victory, the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) was taken in even more impressive style by Eskendereya. Taking over after the three-quarter mark, Eskendereya simply powered away, and despite being asked for very little, he was better than nine lengths clear at the wire. It looks as if his sire, Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO) , who has been responsible for a stream of good horses, may now have a real superstar.
 
Where Sidney’s Candy has Blushing Groom and Storm Cat in the middle of the pedigree, Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat out of a mare by Rahy) supplies that cross in the pedigree of Eskendereya. The dam of Eskendereya is by Seattle Slew (a grandson of Boldnesian, a horse whose family is duplicated in the pedigree of Candy Ride’s sire, Ride the Rails). Perhaps one day we’ll be looking at pedigrees with Sidney’s Candy crossed over Eskendereya and vice-versa? With a second dam by Alydar, and a third dam by Northern Dancer, out of the dam of Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Cannonade, who in turn is by Ribot, Eskendereya is bred to run as long as he’s ever likely to be asked.
 
Meanwhile at Keeneland, Giant’s Causeway was represented by his first grade I winner as a broodmare sire – he only had 35 starters to date – when Evening Jewel (TrueNicks A++) got the best of a very close finish to the Ashland Stakes (gr. I). Evening Jewel is from the first “post Afleet Alex (TrueNicks,SRO)” crop sired by Northern Afleet (TrueNicks,SRO) , a crop that also includes the grade I winner Negligee, and grade III victor Aegean. If you’ve got a mare in Kentucky you’ve yet to book for a later cover, this is a horse you have to take a serious look at for his advertised 2010 fee of $10,000.

Evening Jewel’s dam, Jewel of the Night, is bred very similarly to Eskendereya, as she’s not only by Giant’s Causeway, but also out of a mare by General Meeting, a son of Seattle Slew out of an Alydar mare, so the same cross as the dam of Eskendereya. This is a good Mabee family, the granddam, Jeweled Lady – who produced stakes winning and grade I placed Saucey Evening to More Than Ready – is a sister to the multiple grade I winner General Challenge, and stakes winner Western Hemisphere, and three-parts-sister to grade I winner Notable Career. The third dam, is out of Northern Dancer’s graded winning daughter, Northern Sea, and is half-sister to Southern Halo.
 

Filed under: Recent Winners, Mares, Emerging Nicks, Sires, Pedigree Elements