Cosmic Candy Girl out of this world in $200K Suzie O’Cain
DiRico Racing and Breeding’s Cosmic Candy Girl made every pole a winning one to post a 26-1 upset as the longest shot on the board in Thursday’s $200,000 Suzie O’Cain, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for New York-bred sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Jimmy Ryerson and piloted for the first time in the afternoon by Christopher Elliott, the Twirling Candy bay found another gear at the top of the lane and kicked clear to score by 3 1/2-lengths and secure her first stakes win in her second attempt.
The jockey-trainer duo teamed up for their third stakes win together following past success at Aqueduct Racetrack with Sunday Boy in the $500K NYSSS Great White Way in December and with Sweet Montreal in the Joseph A. Gimma in September.
“Mr. Ryerson has been extremely supportive my whole career, and I just appreciate all the help he’s given me,” Elliott said.
Ryerson said the initial plan was to try and come from off the pace and that Elliott made a smart call to let Cosmic Candy Girl take the lead after breaking alertly.
“We wanted to take her back, but if she breaks clear like that, if he tries to do that, her head’s going to go up to the sky. He did the right thing,” Ryerson said. “Actually, the two races I won this meet here both were ‘Plan B,’ so that’s as much as I know.
“I saw her best race coming this year – I didn’t know it was going to be this good,” Ryerson added. “She just got here 18, 20 days ago and reunited with the guy who galloped her last year for us. It’s the subtle things that can make a major difference in a horse.”
Cosmic Candy Girl led through splits of 24.48 seconds, 48.80 and 1:13.38 over the firm footing with the previously undefeated stalking pair of Celtic Dawn and All of It looming large when asked to make their run through the final turn. But there would be no reeling in the brilliant Cosmic Candy Girl, who opened up by 3 1/2-lengths at the stretch call and maintained her advantage through the wire to win in a final time of 1:42.42.
“The whole thing with her was trying to get her to relax,” Elliott said. “I’ve been working with her in the morning, and usually in these races, she’s going pretty quick. She finally settled today. That was the main thing. Once I got the first quarter in 24 and change, I was happy. She just was a pro out there. She was super relaxed and did her job.”
Considerate City, the 10-1 second longest shot on the board under Tyler Gaffalione, closed from last-of-6 to complete the exacta by a nose over New York Special with another neck back to Neshika in fourth. They were followed by 6-5 favorite All of It and 2-1 second choice Celtic Dawn. Coach of the Year, Encantar and main-track only entrant Lady Rose were scratched.
Cosmic Candy Girl has made all eight starts against fellow state-breds, graduating at third asking in September over firm Belmont at the Big A by 1 1/2-lengths with a stalking score over familiar foe Considerate City. She followed with a head second under similar tactics to She’s Country in the one-mile Key Cents in November to close out her juvenile campaign.
Cosmic Candy Girl has made three allowance starts this campaign, all at the Big A, finishing third as the favorite in April and May before a six-length fourth last out on June 28 in a race in which Considerate City closed to finish second.
Ryerson indicated Cosmic Candy Girl had touted herself since returning to Saratoga where she made her first two starts last year.
“They came to her, we were worrying about that because she’s been stopping, but she was just a different horse today,” Ryerson said. “The surroundings – she loves it here at Saratoga, not having to ship… all those things equate into her performance today.”
Gaffalione said the Jimmy Ferraro-trained Considerate City, who ran seventh in the Key Cents in her lone previous stakes try, was game in defeat.
“My filly showed up. She’s as honest as they come. She put me where I needed to be and had a really nice turn-of-foot,” Gaffalione said. “I definitely think a little more distance would be good for her
“I tried not to worry about [the pace] too much,” he added. “I just tried to get my filly in a good tempo and see what she had to finish with. She came with a good run for me.”
Cosmic Candy Girl, a $130,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase, is out of the winning Galileo mare Evening Primrose. Her fourth dam is Reine-de-Course mare Weekend Surprise, who produced Hall of Famer A.P. Indy. Her third dam, Weekend Storm, produced multiple Grade 1-winning $3 million earner Court Vision, who captured the 2011 Breeders' Cup Mile.
Bred by 30 Year Farm, Cosmic Candy Girl banked $110,000 in victory while improving her record to 8-2-3-2. She returned $55.62 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the Grade 2, $250,000 Shuvee in Race 8 and the state-bred $200,000 Rick Violette in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern for the New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day program.
New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day was created by The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA), New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB), and New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund (NYTBDF) in 2021 to highlight the New York thoroughbred industry’s commitment to aftercare.
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