PROFILE
| Foaled: | February 5, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Breeder: | Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC |
| Color/Sex: | Dark Bay/Colt |
| Sire: | Candy Ride |
| Dam: | Spirit |
| Dam Sire: | Indian Charlie |
| Trainer: | Steve Asmussen |
HORSE OVERVIEW
The total package. By a Sire of Sires and from a female line that’s produced a Kentucky Oaks winner. This is a colt by Candy Ride, who has produced the likes of champion Gun Runner, Shared Belief, and Twirling Candy. His family line has produced a litany of Grade 1 winners including 2021 Kentucky Oaks champion Malathaat.
Partnering with Bloom Racing (who campaigned champion Midnight Bisou) on our second purchase of the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale, we landed this beautiful son of Candy Ride, one of the most productive sires of the last decade, for $160,000.
The colt breezed a quarter of a mile in 21.2 seconds and after hitting his best stride approaching the end of his breeze really lengthened his stride and looked to be the type who will love racing a route of ground. His gallop out after the work was nothing short of spectacular, lending credence to our assessment that he’ll relish that extra ground. Back at the barn, the colt physically had a ton of leg to him and exhibited all the mental signs of being smart and well-composed.
The colt will be trained by racing’s winningest trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and compete on the Midwest racing circuit. We felt Steve would be a natural fit for this colt given his work with sons of Candy Ride (he trained 2017 Horse of the Year and $16 million earner, Gun Runner) and this colt’s sibling, Aura, a three-time winner.
Breeding Insights
This colt’s elegant pedigree is powered by excellence from both his sire, Candy Ride, and his female line, which features some serious horsepower.
Sire Candy Ride, a champion miler in his native Argentina on the strength of two Group 1 victories, was every bit as good when he staked his claim on American soil in 2003 by winning the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on the dirt and the Grade 2 American Handicap on the turf.
Candy Ride’s undefeated racing career spanned just six races, but his body of work in the breeding shed reads like an Encyclopedia and his accomplishments continue to grow as an active sire now in his 23rd year at stud. He currently stands at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky for a fee of $75,000, a figure which is quite impressive for his age, and speaks to his continued success of churning out top-tier racehorses, who exhibit traits of having both precocity and durability.
His list of remarkable progeny is headlined by Gun Runner, who is now a highly sought-after stallion following a brilliant racing career in which he earned just shy of $16 million. A Horse of the Year and champion older male, Gun Runner was conditioned by Steve Asmussen, who will train this colt along with his older half-sister, Aura, a three-time winner.
Gun Runner was a winner of 12 of 19 starts, including two of the world’s most prestigious and richest races, the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup Invitational. He nearly pulled off another another victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, but had to settle that day for second.
Candy Ride’s other Grade 1-winning millionaires are Game Winner, Misremembered, Shared Belief, Sidney’s Candy, and Vekoma.
The colt’s pedigree is further bolstered through the race and produce records of his dam’s family. His second dam (maternal grandmother), Turbo Dream, was an outstanding producer and is the mother of Dream Rush, a multiple Grade 1 winner. Dream Rush in turn became a terrific broodmare and counts among her progeny, Dreaming of Julia, a Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old. In keeping the tradition of top-quality racehorses turned excellent producers, Dreaming of Julia is the mother of the 2021 champion 3-year-old filly Malathaat.
Expected on track: September 2022
Phantom Ride Race Recap
It was a tough beat for Phantom Ride in today’s third race at Churchill Downs, with him falling only a neck short. Your colt WAS claimed out of today’s race. This didn’t come as a huge shock given his return to the claiming ranks after his three race win streak, but it was where he […]
Career Best for Phantom Ride
Phantom Ride posted a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 81 yesterday for his win at Sam Houston Race Park. A copy of his updated lifetime past performances can be see above.
Spirit ’20 Is Now Named…
Congratulations! We are excited to announce thanks to all the submissions received, that Spirit ’20 has officially been named “Phantom Ride.” Thank you again to all who participated in our naming survey.