Past The Wire Uses Equibase To Take A Deeper Look At Ollie’s Candy
It’s good to be ‘in.’ Ollie’s Candy has been very ‘in’ since winning her first start. The four-year-old daughter of solid sire, Candy Ride (ARG), out of Afternoon Stroll (Stroll), has been ‘in’ the money. And she did that on three different surfaces as we take a deeper look into her stats at Equibase.
Owned and bred by Paul and Karen Eggert and trained by William Morey, Ollie’s Candy won her first two career starts at sprint distances on Golden Gate Fields’ synthetic main track during the spring of 2018. She won by seven and eight lengths. The three-year-old filly then shipped to Santa Anita for the Summertime Oaks G2 on June 16. In a race of firsts–first race on dirt, first at a route distance, and first graded stakes–Ollie’s Candy posted a game win over Thirteen Squared (Liaison) by a neck according to Equibase. Under jockey Kent Desormeaux she extends her unbeaten streak to three winning her first graded stakes.
Ollie’s Candy then changed surfaces again making her last two starts of 2018 on turf, losing by a neck in both according to Equibase results. In the 1 mile San Clemente Stakes G2 with Corey Nakatani up and carrying 123 pounds, she was just nicked by War Heroine (War Chant). Covering 1-1/8 miles in the Del Mar Oaks G1 ridden by Tyler Baze, Ollie’s Candy was edged out at the wire by Fatale Bere (FR) (Pedro The Great) with Desormeaux riding her rival. Ollie’s Candy posted consistent Equibase speed figures of 101 and 107 respectively.
For 2019, Ollie’s Candy was ‘in’ the barn of trainer John Sadler. After a nine-month layoff and still on the turf, she placed seventh in the Gamely Stakes G1 on May 27. Again, under Desormeaux, Ollie’s Candy bounced back on the board to a solid second in the Wilshire Stakes G3 on June 22 losing by 1-1/4 lengths to Simply Breathless (GB) (Baited Breath {GB}). The four-year-old filly was still scoring strong Equibase speed figures with 104 and 107, respectively, in her last two outings.
John Sadler decided to try Ollie’s Candy on the dirt again in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes G1 on July 28 at Del Mar. With Kent Desormeaux aboard, she out dueled Secret Spice (Discreet Cat) in a thrilling stretch battle to, again, win by a head. This win ensured Ollie’s Candy was ‘in’ the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Ollie’s Candy had one more race in late summer, the Zenyatta Stakes G2 at Santa Anita on Sept. 29. With a powerful effort for third finishing two lengths behind Paradise Woods (Union Rags) and Secret Spice, she gave her connections the confidence to accept the ‘invitation to the World Championships. On the dirt in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 2 under Joel Rosario in a field of eleven, Ollie’s Candy ran a competitive fourth behind Serengeti Empress (Alternation), Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) and, surprise upset, Blue Prize (ARG) (Pure Prize). She continued to register Equibase speed figures between 106-109.
Just a few days after the Breeders’ Cup, Ollie’s Candy was scheduled to be ‘in’ Book 1 of the Keeneland November Sale as “racing or broodmare.” Her owners, Paul and Karen Eggert, had purchased her dam, Afternoon Stroll (Stroll), for $85,000 at the 2015 Keeneland January Sale with Ollie’s Candy ‘in’ utero. The Eggerts have been in the business for over a decade, keeping one or two mares to breed each year. Their intention was to sell the foal as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale the following year. On March 20, 2015, Afternoon Stroll dropped a dark bay filly.
Ollie’s Candy was in prep at Sally Lockhart’s Ballyrankin Stud. Lockhart told the Eggerts she really liked the filly’s work ethic, mindset and how she moved in the round pen and recommended they put a reserve on the auction. When Ollie’s Candy RNA’d at the 2016 Keeneland September sale for $45,000 the Eggerts were content to keep her and give her a name.
Paul Eggert told TDN “We had her broke at the end of her yearling year and couldn’t quite get her to the races as a 2-year-old, but she was always moving forward and always had a good mindset for work and training.” When Ollie’s Candy did make her start as a three-year-old, she would prove her worth ten times over. And now her owners felt it was time to make a big return on their Grade 1 winner in the Keeneland November sale.
A Tweet from trainer John Sadler on Nov. 3 announced, “Ollie’s Candy to race in 2020.” With a change of heart from her owners
the four-year-old filly with the flashy Equibase speed figures is indeed ‘in’ in 2020. She will go into the new year with a record of 10 starts: 4 – 3 – 1 and earnings of $576,151 on three different surfaces. The question is what surface will she start on in 2020?
Recommendation: Put Ollie’s Candy in your virtual stable! Check out other past articles and the data we use where we analyze past horses using equibase.com
Photo of Ollie’s Candy winning the Summertime Oaks G2 at Santa Anita, June 16, 2018, courtesy Breeders’ Cup
