CANDY Ride was bred in Argentina, where the son of Ride The Rails (Cryptoclearance) became their champion miler at three, and has gone on to become one of America’s best stallions. He was unbeaten in six starts, and is the sire of six champions, including 2018 the Horse of the Year Gun Runner who amassed over $15 million in earnings.

As a stallion, Candy Ride has shown great adaptability, as the sire of juvenile champions as well as older horses, precocious sorts and durable runners. He reached a notable landmark as a sire on Saturday when his five-year-old son Hit Show lived up to his name, taking his career winnings to well over $8 million with his first Group 1 success in the Dubai World Cup. He became Candy Ride’s 20th winner at the highest level.

Two years ago, Candy Ride added two Grade 1 winners, thus raising his tally to 19. The then juvenile filly Candied captured the Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland and was third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies., while that year’s three-year-old colt Geaux Rocket Ride won the historic Haskell Stakes and was second in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. Hit Show is his first new Grade 1 winner since.

This year Candy Ride stands at Lane’s End at a fee of $75,000, some achievement for the now 26-year-old.

Candy Ride is accomplished in the sales ring as well, and during his lifetime his yearlings have sold for up to $1 million, and his two-year-olds for almost as much, the best of these realising $975,000.

His influence is also felt through his sons and he is a proven sire of sires, led by Gun Runner and Twirling Candy and including the very exciting Vekoma.

Candy Ride’s daughters are responsible for 45 stakes winners, the most notable being Ashford Stud’s Epicenter (Not This Time) who won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes by five lengths and has his first yearlings for sale this autumn.

Impressive debut

As a racehorse, Candy Ride did not run at two, having been purchased privately for the equivalent of $12,000, but went through his sophomore season in Argentina undefeated in three starts. He made a hugely impressive debut when winning over six furlongs by 12 lengths, and was stepped up to contest a Group 1 on his second start.

In fact, he raced just twice more in Argentina, over a mile at San Isidro on each occasion, and won both starts in Group 1 races by eight lengths, on the latter occasion in a world-record time. Not surprisingly, he was sent to continue his racing career in the USA after he was purchased for $900,000 to do so.

Three more starts at four in the USA saw him unbeaten, taking an allowance race and a Grade 2 at Hollywood Park before ending his racing career with a more than three-length defeat of Medaglia D’Oro in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar over 10 furlongs in a new track record. From an outstanding female line, a stud career in Kentucky was assured, but came a little sooner than planned as he encountered some issues in training.

What about his latest Grade 1 winner, Hit Show? Bred by Gary and Mary West in Kentucky, Hit Show now sports the silks of Wathnan Racing and, in these colours, he has won three of his five starts. In his career to date, he has been successful in half of his 18 starts, six times at graded stakes level, and earlier this year he was placed for the first time in a Grade 1 when third in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Actress’ son

Hit Show has two winning half-sisters, one by Medaglia D’Oro (El Prado) whom his sire beat to win his American Grade 1. They are all out of Actress, a daughter of Tapit (Pulpit). She won just twice as a three-year-old, but both victories were at stakes level, most notably capturing the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico. She has had four foals, all of whom have raced, and her youngest produce is a placed three-year-old. Actress is due to foal, having been covered last year by Curlin (Smart Strike).

This is a dam line that is not top-heavy with blacktype winners. Indeed, Hit Show, his dam Actress, and his grandam Milwaukee Appeal (Milwaukee Brew) are the only stakes winners in the first four removes.

Milwaukee Appeal won the Canadian equivalent of an Eclipse Award when she was given a Sovereign Award as the best filly at three in that country when winning the Woodbine Oaks. All of her five wins were in Canada, but she travelled to the USA and was second to Acoma in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland.

Princess Zahra homebred sets Ghaiyyath alight

MANDANABA kept her perfect record intact when the three-year-old daughter of exciting young sire Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) won the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in style over nine furlongs at ParisLongchamp, becoming her sire’s first stakes winner.

The Francis-Henri Graffard-trained filly made all the running and quickened in the straight to win from the last-time-out listed winner Flaming Stone.

With classic entries in both the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks, this was Mandanaba’s second victory after a brilliant six-length win on her juvenile debut.

Owned and bred by Princess Zahra Aga Khan, she is out of the three-time Group 1 winner Mandesha (Desert Style), making her a half-sister to Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan third and British listed winner Mandour (Smart Strike).

Mandesha was the champion filly at three in France, adding the title of champion older mare the following year. Her Group 1 successes were gained in the Prix Vermeille, Prix d’Astarte and Prix de l’Opera, and she was runner-up in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. There are few members of this family left on the Aga Khan Studs, and Mandanaba’s future racing successes could secure her place in the broodmare band in the years ahead.

In February this year. Harry McCalmont’s Norelands spent €48,000 to buy Mandanaba’s unraced half-sister Manshina (Teofilo), perhaps aware of how well-regarded her younger half-sister was. His judgement has been well-justified. This also looked value when you consider that Manshina’s winning half-sister Marindja (Zarak) sold a few weeks earlier to Meridan International at the Tattersalls December Sale for 330,000gns, carrying her first foal by Native Trail (Oasis Dream).

Hiding a little from view, and one to keep an eye on, is the three-year-old Mandurah (Kingman). She won on her debut at Newmarket last July, was just a length behind the winner when fourth in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot before failing to fire on her final start. A stakes win in 2025 would not be out of place. She is out of another unraced half-sister to Mandanaba, in this case Mandiana (Siyouni).

Mandanaba was the first of two impressive victories in quick succession for Ghaiyyath, as moments later, Group 2 Dante Stakes and Group 1 entrant Nightime Dancer was an easy winner on his second start and seasonal reappearance at Southwell. Ghaiyyath has a number of exciting classic prospects to look forward to, including Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten colt Opera Ballo.