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Twirling Candy survives inquiry as much the best in Del Mar Derby
"He must have seen something inside him," Rosario suggested. "All of a sudden he went outside. I did the best I could to get him back. I don't think it (the swerving incident coming into the backstretch) caused that much trouble. I didn't have any trouble with the saddle or the reins. He did it himself. I've worked him in the morning and he sometimes ducks away from things. He's so talented. He's such a good colt. Once I got him going back right he relaxed and just went on about it." "He took me way out," said Victor Espinoza, the rider of Summer Movie. "We almost went down. My horse crossed legs with him and I had to stop riding. I was lucky I didn't go down. I think my horse might have gotten hurt. I hope he didn't, but he might have." Before and after that incident, Twirling Candy performed right up to his odds, and his lofty reputation. The powerfully-built dark bay broke from the outside in post 6, but easily went to the front and angled over to secure the rail through an opening quarter in :23 3/5. Once Rosario took corrective action and prevented Twirling Candy from going wayward again, he went on to post comfortable splits of :47 2/5 and 1:12. Summer Movie was pressing the pace in second, with Jairzihno (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]) and Kid Edward (Ire) (Singspiel [Ire]) in hot pursuit, but Twirling Candy shook free of them all turning for home. The well-regarded colt clocked 1:35 3/5 for the mile and simply outclassed the opposition while rattling off 1 1/8 firm-turf miles in 1:46 4/5. "I think the stewards made the right call," Sadler said. "He was so much the best. It was only his fourth start and he's big and headstrong. He'll get better and better against better horses. "This is one of the best horses in the country; he's so gifted. He's better when there are horses around him. When he's by himself out there he does a lot of looking around. A homebred campaigned by the Craig Family Trust, Twirling Candy gave his fans $2.40, $2.20 and $2.10 as compensation for their anxiety. Jairzihno wound up best of the rest by a half-length, paying $10 and $5.40 as the 33-1 longest shot on the board. Royal F J (Royal Academy), another longshot at 21-1, got up for third and returned $4.80. The $1 exotics were worth $18 (exacta), $80 (trifecta) and $258.90 (6-2-3-5 superfecta) with the 15-1 Fantastic Pick (GB) (Fantastic Light) in fourth. Kid Edward reported home fifth, 6 3/4 lengths clear of the trailing Summer Movie. Twirling Candy more than doubled his earnings to $294,900. A front-running debut winner going seven furlongs on Hollywood's Cushion Track last November, he was sidelined by sore shins for the next six months. Twirling Candy reappeared at the Inglewood, California, track in a May 29 allowance/optional claiming sprint and dusted his foes by 7 3/4 lengths. Sadler then stretched him out to two turns and switched him to the grass for the July 21 Oceanside S. on Del Mar's opening day, and the big colt rallied to a sharp 2 1/4-length decision. With this graded debut against fellow three-year-olds out of the way, Twirling Candy will set his sights on older horses next. "He'll run in the Goodwood S. ([G1] on October 2 at Oak Tree at Hollywood)," Sadler said, "and I think the pace on a synthetic surface (Cushion Track) will be better for him." The Kentucky-bred is the first registered foal from the Chester House mare House of Danzing, who has also produced two full siblings to the winner -- an unraced juvenile filly named Dulcito and an unnamed yearling colt -- as well as a 2010 colt by Tribal Rule. Twirling Candy comes from the family of Grade 3 victor and multiple Grade 1-placed Chocolate Candy (Candy Ride [Arg]). Further back in the female line, one finds 1978 Triple Crown legend Affirmed (Exclusive Native).
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