Yo Yo Candy boasts a big upset in the Sanford under Angel Castillo (NYRA/Coglianese)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Equipment changes by an attentive trainer and a stumbled start by heavy favorite Gold Sweep landed Happy Tenth Stable’s Yo Yo Candy a 46-1 upset score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford, a six-furlong sprint for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.
The victory provided trainer Danny Velazquez his first win at the Spa in his fifth attempt and jockey Angel Castillo a first graded win in North America. An understandably happy winner’s circle was only missing one thing.
“My owners went to Monmouth – we were 46-1 – and they were beating themselves up they didn’t come,” Velazquez said, with a laugh.
The Danzing Candy colt, a $35,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, graduated on debut in May sprinting 4 1/2-furlongs over the main track at Velazquez’ Parx Racing base. He followed with a distant third in the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont in June at Belmont Park, finishing 10 1/4-lengths back of the victorious Gold Sweep.
Velazquez went back to work on the lightly-raced colt after the Tremont and made a number of equipment changes as well as sharpening Yo Yo Candy for his graded debut with a five-eighths breeze from the gate in 1:01.02 on July 1 at Parx.
“That day at Belmont when we ran third, he ran very green and was in and out and never switched his lead. He was a green horse on a new, big track,” Velazquez said. “So, went back home and added blinkers and put a figure-eight to shut his mouth and tongue tie. We took him back to the gate three times to get that speed into him because he didn’t break sharp, either.”
The adjustment paid dividends Saturday as Yo Yo Candy broke well and tracked in third position while Dickens and Market Street dueled through splits of 22.15 seconds and 45.83 over the fast main track. Castillo angled Yo Yo Candy four-wide for the stretch run and he drew off to win by 2 1/4-lengths over the late-charging Gold Sweep. Yo Yo Candy stopped the clock in 1:11.83 and earned a career-best 71 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I loved when he was sitting third. It seemed like Angel had him real comfortable behind the pace and when he tipped outside, it was just enough to go,” Velazquez said. “I tried to keep one eye on him [Gold Sweep]. I saw the stumble and you hate to see that, but that’s horse racing. After that, we were just cruising and I lost all track of Gold Sweep. I was just focused on my horse.”
Yo Yo Candy is likely to train up to the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful on September 4 at the Spa.
“I think that would be a good target,” Velazquez said. “He’s an easy horse to maintain and he loves his training program. We pressed him a little harder going into this race because I felt we needed to come ready. We put in three big works – an extra gate work – I wanted everything to go right. I didn’t want him to break slow or have no gas. If we lose, we lose because the horse didn’t have the talent – but not because of preparation.”
The California-bred colt, out of the multiple graded-stakes placed Two Punch mare Yolanda B. Too, is a half-brother to graded-stakes placed Treble.
