Reduced to four starters, Sunday's $1-million Pacific Classic was hyped as a match race between Medaglia d'Oro and the unbeaten Candy Ride.
It didn't turn out to be much of a contest.
Playing the part of Seabiscuit, Candy Ride, the underdog, dusted War Admiral, er, Medaglia d'Oro, the 3-5 favorite, and put himself squarely in the horse-of-the-year race.
With Julie Krone filling in as jockey for the injured Gary Stevens, Candy Ride tracked Medaglia d'Oro for most of the 1 1/4-mile race, then kicked away in the stretch to win by 3 1/4 lengths.
He was timed in 1:59.11, bettering the Del Mar record for the distance of 1:59.40 set by Bertrando in the Pacific Classic 10 years earlier.
Candy Ride is a 4-year-old Argentine-bred owned by Sid and Jenny Craig, who live in nearby Rancho Santa Fe and dreamed for years of winning Del Mar's signature race, and trained by Ron McAnally, who had lost with his previous eight starters in the Pacific Classic.
"This is the most exciting moment in my horse racing career," said Sid Craig, who has won Breeders' Cup races and the Epsom Derby. "It doesn't get any better than this in your own back yard."
articles.latimes.com/2003/aug/...
20 май 2012
