75% Stakes Wins in 2009 for The Captain

May 25, 2009

"Who can take tomorrow,
Dip it in a dream,
Separate the sorrow
And collect up all the cream?
The Candy Man can."
   "The Candy Man", lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

In the fall of 2007 Dr. Joe Rauch and his granddaughter were at the piano plunking out the notes to Sammy Davis Jr.’s 1972 hit "The Candy Man" when Joe realized he had the perfect name for the Candy Ride yearling he owned with Dave Zell.

Bred in partnership with Lantern Hill Farm LLC and produced from the Storm Creek stakes winner Stormy Way, the two men bought out Lantern Hill’s interest in the yearling at the Keeneland September Sale after it became apparent a questionable scope report would keep the handsome colt from bringing a fair price.

As so often happens, Joe’s first name choice wasn’t available, but with the addition of “Capt.,” the name was granted to a colt that does his best to deliver on those song lyrics every time he loads in the starting gate.

From four stakes efforts this year Capt. Candyman Can has won three, and his victory in the seven furlong Hutcheson S.-G2 at Gulfstream Park on January 30 had us dreaming of Kentucky Derby roses.  Capt. Candyman Can vied for the lead early, backed off the leaders in the backstretch, angled four wide on the turn to get the lead by a half length, and battled through the stretch, widening his margin to a length and a half.

For his next start,  trainer Ian Wilkes stretched the gelding out to a mile in the $250,000 Fountain of Youth S.-G2 at Gulfstream, but after a fourth place finish there the conditioner’s focus for The Captain shifted from Derby starter to Sprint Specialist.

Aqueduct’s 7 furlong Bay Shore S.-G3 on April 4 was a perfect target, and Capt. Candyman Can responded with a three and three-quarters length victory, racing under Javier Castellano’s firm hold between horses in the early stages, moving up on the outside and charging to the front over Taqarub.

The Captain returned to his home track for Churchill Down’s $100,000 Matt Winn S. on May 16, where the early going was a carbon copy of the Bay Shore until 4-5 favorite Cash Run challenged through the stretch, but The Captain dug deep to put him away by three parts of a length.

The Matt Winn featured another Lantern Hill homebred, Conchacer, (Congaree-Eliot Chacer, by Clever Trick) who finished third that day in his first stakes effort. The colts grew up together and sold on the same day at the 2007 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.  


Photo Credit: Lantern Hill Farm LLC