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How To Breed Your First Stakes Winner
November 02, 2008 
The day after Halloween Capt. Candyman Can had a big treat left in his bag when he and jockey Julien Leparoux flew first to the finish in Churchill Downs’ $111,000 Iroquois Stakes (G3).
The Candy Ride-Stormy Way gelding loped comfortably between Casey’s On Call and Monty’s Best for the first half in 45.69, drew off by a half at the ¾ pole, shook off a bid by Monty’s Best in the stretch, and won by three widening lengths in 1:35:16 for the mile.
Trainer Ian Wilkes conditioned the gelding to a 7¼ length maiden win in his first start August 13 at Saratoga. A month later a bumper car stretch run over the Arlington polytrack yielded a sixth place finish for favorite Capt. Candyman Can in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G-3).
“I think he’s a little better on dirt, but let’s not make excuses for him last time,” Wilkes said yesterday.
“This was a much better race today. We’ll think about the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) next, and then we can really see if he can go two turns.”
The Captain is the first stakes winner for owner-breeders Dr. Joe Rauch and Dave Zell, who co-bred the stakes winner with Lantern Hill Farm. Dr. Joe is a medical doctor who sometimes donates his services to Florida backstretch workers, and his buddy Dave Zell is retired real estate developer.
They bought their first race horse in 1975 after a casual trip to the track, and when they acquired a broodmare in 2003, they sent her to foal at Lantern Hill Farm at the recommendation of another friend, Florida veterinarian and pinhooker Dr. Barry Eisaman.
Joe and Dave were hanging around the Lantern Hill shed row at the 2006 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale when the conversation turned to broodmare selection.
“I’ve got one marked that sells in about an hour, Suzi said. “Let’s walk up to the ring and see what she looks like.”
Stormy Way was a round, medium sized mare, bright bay; with a wide forehead under a large star. Typical of her Storm Cat sire line, she had a powerful body balanced on offset knees. But those knees carried her to five wins from the ages of two to five, a victory in the Explosive Red S, and $278,083 in earnings. And Candy Ride, the covering sire, held the world record for a mile and had good knees.
They followed her to the sales ring.
When the bidding stopped at $65,000 Stormy Way was Lantern Hill bound and Joe, Dave and Suzi were partners. Just 34 months later, the colt she carried that day brought all of them to the Directors Room at Churchill Downs to sip champagne, revel in the wonder of the day’s win and plan for races yet to come.
“This is the only thing I know of that can make a 70 year old feel like he’s 19,” Dave said.
Photo by EquiSport
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