This might be the year Twirling Candy finally gets the best of Uncle Mo.
Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo has been Twirling Candy's sires list nemesis since their freshman year in 2015. For six consecutive years, Twirling Candy ranked second to the 13-year-old son of Indian Charlie by annual progeny earnings. Twirling Candy did edge Uncle Mo by number of black-type stakes winners in 2019, siring 12 to Uncle Mo's 11.
As of May 16, however, Lane's End's 14-year-old son of Candy Ride is tracking at a brisk pace on the North American general leading sire list where he ranks 13th with $3,460,244 in progeny earnings and has nine black-type performers. By comparison, Uncle Mo ranks 16th with slightly more than $3 million and eight black-type performers.
More significantly, Twirling Candy evened a score with Uncle Mo May 15 when he became the sire of an American classic winner. His son Rombauer blew past challengers Midnight Bourbon and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit deep down the Pimlico Race Course stretch to win the Preakness Stakes (G1) by 3 1/2 lengths. Uncle Mo got his classic winner when Nyquist won the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Twirling Candy is now a dual classic winner as a stallion, having already sired 2019 Queen's Plate Stakes winner One Bad Boy .
"Twirling Candy has always been right there and at a more desirable price point than Uncle Mo," said Bill Farish with Lane's End about Twirling Candy's $10,000 fee during his freshman year compared to Uncle Mo at $25,000. Twirling Candy now stands for $40,000 and Uncle Mo for $175,000. "He's thrived and the quality of his mares has noticeably picked up over the last couple of years. I think we'll continue to see better results. We've gotten strong support from SF Bloodstock, which has been buying shares and has a nice position in him."
Twirling Candy raced as a homebred for Sidney and Jenny Craig's Craig Family Trust. The colt won six of his first seven starts, which included victories in the Malibu Stakes (G1) and Del Mar Derby (G2T). In early 2011, William S. Farish and Martin Wygod joined as owners and celebrated a win in the Californian Stakes (G2). At 4, Twirling Candy also was second in the TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and third in the Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (G1). He retired to stud at Lane's End with a 7-1-1 record from 11 starts and $944,900 in earnings.
As a stallion, Twirling Candy has sired 26 black-type winners to date that include 10 graded stakes winners, of which half are grade 1 winners. His top performers along with Rombauer are millionaires Concrete Rose and Gift Box and fellow grade 1 winners Finley'sluckycharm and Collusion Illusion . Twirling Candy's stakes winners have been successful on all surfaces, with 20 winning on dirt and all-weather surfaces and 10 winning on the grass. Prior to winning the Preakness, Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby on Golden Gate Fields' Tapeta main track. The Queen's Plate also is run on an all-weather surface at Woodbine.
Twirling Candy appears to be at the forefront of Candy Ride's rise as a sire of sires. The 22-year-old son of Ride the Rails, who stands at Lane's End for $75,000, has a number of young sire-sons starting to make their mark, including this year's freshman sires Gun Runner (at Three Chimneys Farm), Mastery (Claiborne Farm), and Unified at Lane's End. Also entering stud this year at Lane's End is Candy Ride's champion son Game Winner .
"There are a lot promising young horses coming along, so Candy Ride's legacy certainly won't be built around one horse," Farish said.
Nothing, however, elevates a stallion's status like siring a classic winner.
"It is the ultimate achievement. If a stallion is going to be considered in the top echelon, he has to get a classic winner," Farish said.
Even more opportunities lie ahead as Twirling Candy is being bred to not only better books, but larger books. He covered 171 mares in 2020 and is expected to cover a similar number this year, according to Farish.
Twirling Candy's progeny are expected to continue excelling across a broad spectrum of races. Candy Ride is a versatile stallion, too, siring 81 stakes winners on dirt and 31 on turf from 97 career stakes winners. Twirling Candy is showing even a bit more versatility, siring 38% stakes winners on turf versus Candy Ride's 32%.
"Twirling Candy seems more versatile particularly at a high level," Farish said. "His ascent has been steady. He just keeps doing better and better each year, and I expect that will continue with his bigger crops coming."
