Sidney's Candy was first, the rest nowhere (Benoit Photos)

The Craig Family Trust's homebred SIDNEY'S CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]) made an electrifying turf debut in Saturday's $150,000 La Jolla H. (G2), crushing his overmatched opponents while scorching 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar's firm turf in a course-record 1:39.52. Judging by this utterly dominating display, it might be fair to say that the accomplished performer on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride has been a turf horse in waiting all along.

Ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario, who picked up the mount from the sidelined Joe Talamo, Sidney's Candy showed his customary early speed. The 7-5 favorite was joined by Macias (Purge), and the two speedsters took off with wild abandon. After an opening quarter in :23, the pair continued their duel through a ferocious half-mile in :45 4/5. They were in their own private match race, 16 lengths ahead of the rest of the field. Nearing the far turn, Macias was spent and commenced his retreat.

In contrast, Sidney's Candy was still at full throttle. The John Sadler trainee surged clear of Macias through six furlongs in a torrid 1:08 4/5 and turned for home with great gusto. Sidney's Candy was 13 lengths in front in midstretch, and he passed the mile mark in 1:33. His winning margin was reduced to 5 1/2 lengths at the wire, but the race was already long decided.

Sidney's Candy has a pedigree well suited to the turf (Benoit Photos)

Sidney's Candy furnished mutuels of $4.80, $3.40 and $3. In the wake of the winner's triumphal procession, 3-1 second choice Kid Edward (Ire) (Singspiel [Ire]) got up for second by a half-length, returning $3.40 and $3.40. Alphie's Bet (Tribal Rule) checked in third and paid $5.20 at 22-1. The $1 exotics were worth $12.20 (exacta), $120.30 (trifecta) and $826.70 (2-5-8-4 superfecta) with the 10-1 Summer Movie (Holy Bull) in fourth. Next came Face and an Ace (Came Home), Leroy's Dynameaux (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]), Golden Itiz (Tiznow) and an exhausted Macias.

Going into the La Jolla, all but one of Sidney's Candy's races had come on synthetic surfaces, with the lone exception being his thoroughly uncharacteristic 17th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). In a maiden race on Del Mar's Polytrack last summer, he blazed to a new track record of 1:02.71 for 5 1/2 furlongs, so the La Jolla was actually his second record-breaking performance at Del Mar.

Sidney's Candy stamped himself as a leading player on the Triple Crown trail this spring at Santa Anita, posting convincing, front-running victories in the San Vicente S. (G2), San Felipe S. (G2) and especially the Santa Anita Derby (G1), where champion Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike) was a troubled, but distant, third. Following his debacle in the Churchill Downs slop, Sidney's Candy reverted to synthetic for the July 17 Swaps S. (G2) on Hollywood Park's Cushion Track. Although he opened up in midstretch as the 1-5 favorite, he tired late and was just nabbed by Skipshot (Skip Away) by a head at the wire.

Sadler then decided to try Sidney's Candy on turf, and a bullet six-furlong work on the Del Mar grass last Sunday gave only a faint inkling of what was to come. With this fourth career stakes victory on his resume, the sophomore sports a mark of 9-5-2-0, $803,560.