Danzing Candy's Family Tree and why he is on
the Road to the Kentucky Derby
Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy - Talkin and Singing, by Songandaprayer) was bred by Halo Farms (Ted Aroney) and is raced in conjunction with Jim and Diane Bashor. Trainer Clifford Sise Jr. sent Danzing Candy out for his racing debut at Del Mar’s 2015 fall meet. The colt raced greenly and was unplaced behind Uncle Lino. A month later, Danzing Candy won his maiden at Santa Anita and hasn’t put a hoof wrong in three starts over the track. The dark bay has a 4-3-0-0 ($308,650) race record and owns 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Sire:
TWIRLING CANDY (Candy Ride (ARG) - House of Danzing, by Chester House) is one of four sophomore sons of Candy Ride. Look up the word versatility in the dictionary and you’ll find a photo of Twirling Candy. The dark bay son of Candy Ride won or placed over dirt, turf, Polytrack and Cushion Track. He was victorious from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.A winner of seven starts in eleven attempts, the son of Candy Ride set a new track record of 1:19.70 for seven furlongs at Santa Anita in the 2010 Malibu Stakes (G1) in his final start as a three-year-old. He followed that up the following year with a new stakes record of 1:46.93 for 1 1/8 miles in the Strub Stakes (G2). Twirling Candy also recorded victories in the Del Mar Derby (G2) at 1 1/8 and the one mile Oceanside Stakes, both over the Del Mar lawn. He also captured the 1 1/8 mile Californian Stakes over Cushion Track.
Twirling Candy gave a good account of his abilities in two of his three endeavors at 1 ¼ miles. After his record setting triumph in the Strub Stakes, Twirling Candy regressed in the Santa Anita Handicap, to place fifth in one of only two off the board finishes in his career. In his final two starts, Twirling Candy finished third, beaten a nose and neck in a thrilling edition of the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) and lost the head bob in the Pacific Classic (G1). Considered one of the best older horses in California, Twirling Candy sustained a tendon injury prepping for the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He retired with an 11-7—1-1 ($944,900) record.Twirling Candy took up stud duties at Lane’s End in 2012 for an initial fee of $15,000. His first crop propelled their sire to a firm second place behind Uncle Mo in the Freshmen Sire standings last year by earnings, winners and stakes winners. Twirling Candy has maintained his record as a superb young sire. He is again second to Champion Uncle Mo on the Second Crop Sire list, but he has a higher win percentage of starters/winners than the Champ. It’s no surprise to see Twirling Candy doing so well at stud. He is one of three foals out of House of Danzing to race. His full brother Dubai Sky captured the Spiral (G3) and Kitten’s Joy Stakes last year. A half-brother, Ethnic Dance (Tribal Rule), won a division of the Del Mar Derby. Twirling Candy’s second dam is a half-sister to Chocolate Candy (Candy Ride), runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby.
Female Family
Danzing Candy’s female family consists of national and international hardy turf routers. Prominent runners descended from the same distaff line include Champion Three Year Old Stage Door Johnny, leading broodmare sire Speak John, multiple Group winner and stallion Vision D'etat and the poplar California sprinter, Love That Red.
TALKING AND SINGING (Songandaprayer - Bendita, by Baldski) never busted out of the maiden ranks during her nine race career. She did pick up a purse three times over the Polytrack at a mile and 1 1/16 miles. She also finished second in one of three starts over the lawn. The Chestnut mare never had the opportunity to race on dirt.
Danzing Candy is Talkin and Singing’s second foal and first to earn blacktype. His older half-brother Karaoke Cat (Tale of the Cat) competes in the sprint claiming ranks at Golden Gate. He’s hit the board in 12 of 20 starts in three years of racing. A two-year-old unnamed ¾ brother to Danzing Candy sold at this year’s Fasig Tipton Sale for $650,000 to Godolphin. Danzing Candy is also the proud big brother of a new Twirling Candy colt.
Talkin and Singing hails from a robust distaff family that likes to win. Seven of her eight half siblings raced and all except one visited the winner’s circle. Talking and Singing’s half-brother BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man) had his photo taken in 14 of 51 starts. The valiant gelding participated in five editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, winning in 2004 and placing in 2006. During his nine-year career, Better Talk Now raced at the highest levels from 1 1/16 miles to 1 ½ miles over the lawn, earning over $4 million dollars. Not bad for a gelding who was a $10,500 RNA yearling.
DAM SIRE
SONG AND A PRAYER (Unbridled's Song - Alizea, by Premiership) doesn’t typify the usual son of Unbridled’s Song, who is renowned for stamping his offspring – that is, his babies look like and perform similar to their large, gray sire.
Songandaprayer is a bay stallion and was more precocious than many of Unbridled’s Song’s progeny. Songandaprayer’s offspring follow in their sire’s hoof prints and are overwhelmingly precocious sprinter/milers. Anything beyond 1 1/16 miles is a tough assignment for them and he has produced no winners at 1 ¼ miles and beyond.
Songandaprayer is a young broodmare sire of seven stakes winners, three of them, including Danzing Candy and Sunny Ridge, have earned graded stakes status. None have won beyond 1 1/16 miles.
Danzing Candy’s second damsire, BALDSKI (Nijinsky II - Too Bald, by Bald Eagle) won a minor stakes at a mile. He stood his entire stud career at Farnsworth Farm in Florida. He is the damsire or second damsire of 90 stakes winners. Baldski is the second damsire of Kentucky Oaks heroine Lovely Maria, multiple stakes winner and sire Include, multiple stakes winner Bsharpsonata and her precocious younger half-brother Backtalk. Bald ski’s daughters bore winners at all distances, with the majority winning up to 1 1/18 miles.
Outlook:
Twirling Candy is a young sire and many of his offspring haven’t had the opportunity to travel a route of ground. Other than Danzing Candy, Twirling Candy’s few offspring that have progressed to middle distances (1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles) have hit the board but they have not won. Eventually with maturity, they should stretch to 1 1/8 miles and Twirling Candy may someday be represented by the rare winner at 1 ¼ miles. On the distaff side, we have a conundrum. Songanaprayer’s offspring are distance challenged beyond a mile, yet Danzing Candy’s immediate distaff line is filled with long-winded turf routers. On paper, the 2016 KENTUCKY DERBY contender should be most efficient at 1 1/16 miles and shorter, although he could be contentious at 1 1/8 miles in the right situations
Danzing Candy is a confirmed front runner with a high cruising speed. His only loss was in his debut, when the colt understandably raced greenly. Danzing Candy has run unpressured on the lead and widened his advantage in each of his victories. The Dark Bay colt’s leg extension is average and he moves smoothly with no obvious paddling or drifting. Danzing Candy has the physical demeanor of a middle-distance runner. While he does have a strong, well balanced physique, he isn’t overly muscled and resembles his sire, Twirling Candy.
Here’s an interesting comparison. The last two Kentucky Derby winners, American Pharoah and California Chrome, both had high cruising speeds. Neither had a classic-oriented pedigree. Both colts likely carried the large heart (X-Factor) gene. American Pharoah certainly carries it. In the absence of an EKG heart score, the only outwardly physical characteristic of a large heart is leaf-like ears that curl (bend) at the tips. Current examples are American Pharoah, Zenyatta, and Shared Belief. In photos, Danzig Candy appears to have the same characteristic
Danzing Candy has yet to be tested this year and the lightly raced colt is maturing at the right time. Was the San Felipe indicative of the colt’s talent or did he take advantage of the speed bias? With the defection of NYQUIST to the Florida Derby, his nemesis SWIPE out of the Derby, and the defeat of Mor Spirit in the San Felipe Stakes, California’s three-year-old division has become wide-open. Questions still surround Danzing Candy, namely, can he sit behind horses if necessary, how will he react in a prolonged battle, and how far will he run? We’ll find out the answer to at least one of those questions in the Santa Anita Derby.
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