Secret Crush

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 and was a  Horse of the Year and champion older male.

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.

This colt has an extraordinary female family tree as well. Dam Elarose, who has produced four winners from as many to reach the starting gate, has the distinction of being a daughter of Storm Cat, a grandson of Secretariat. Storm Cat died in 2013 but not before leaving his mark as an elite stallion who once commanded a $500,000 stud fee. Elarose brought $800,000 in the auction ring as a yearling and later was sold for $450,000 — after going winless on the track — as a broodmare at Keeneland. Her dam, Take Charge Lady, was a multiple Grade 1 winner and earner of $2.4 million during her illustrative career. When retired, Take Charge Lady drummed up plenty of interest in the auction ring at Keeneland and was acquired for $4.2 million while in foal to a Seeking the Gold filly, who later would be named Charming. As wonderful as Take Charge Lady was on the racetrack, she really stands out as a superior producer. Two of her progeny, Will Take Charge and Take Charge Indy, were millionaire racehorses and now stand stud in the U.S., a third, As Time Goes By, became a Grade 1 winner earlier in 2022 and pushed her earnings to $955,600. The aforementioned Charming was a winner on the track but really strutted her stuff in the breeding shed as the producer of champion and Breeders’ Cup winner Take Charge Brandi and Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach.