Conquest Hardcandy wires Gulfstream’s Sanibel Island
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Coglianese Photos/Leslie Martin
By Sarah Mace
Alfonso Cammarota’s lightly-raced sophomore filly Conquest Hardcandy (Candy Ride) joined the stakes winner’s club Saturday with a gate-to-wire victory over nine rivals in Gulfstream Park’s one-mile, $100,000 Sanibel Island Stakes.
As her name implies, the bay filly got where she is today by way of the Conquest Stables dispersal at last year’s Keeneland November sale. Originally a graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale, where she went to GBP for $100,000, Conquest Hardcandy was purchased by Conquest Stables for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. After running once for Conquest and Mark Casse (an unplaced debut effort on May 2), she was picked up by trainer Antonio Sano for $40,000 at Keeneland.
Springing eagerly out of post one at odds of 8-1 under Edgard Zayas Saturday, Conquest Hardcandy staked her claim to the front, establishing a half-length lead over speedy 24-1 longshot Fancy Kitten. Meanwhile 2-1 favorite Happy Mesa pursued in fourth in the two path.
Conquest Hardcandy traveled the backstretch under a snug hold, as Zayas tried to ration her speed. As it turned out, the filly was going to need to have something in reserve.
Happy Mesa advanced into second and loomed with a serious challenge at the top of the stretch. Both fillies were determined and dug in, battling to the wire, but, in the end, Conquest Hardcandy simply refused to be passed and secured the victory by a neck. Taperge finished another half-length back in third.
After clocking the early fractions in 23.53 and 48.81, Conquest Hardcandy completed six furlongs in 1:12.35 and stopped the clock after a mile over the firm sod at 1:35.50.
“I bought the filly and waited three months to run the first time,” said conditioner Antonio Sano. “I liked the filly for speed on the turf. She won her first race wire to wire. The next race was very close (three weeks apart). I waited one month for this race. I told (Edgard Zayas) to repeat the first race – wire to wire, win the race. I think last time she went a little too fast.”
In her first start for her new connections Conquest Hardcandy broke her maiden in front-running style at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, and next out tried much loftier company and a route of ground in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and tired after setting the pace.
Bred by the New Hill Farm LLC and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York[2] in Hudson, Conquest Hardcandy is the second foal and first starter out of Dade Babe (Cimarron Secret), a Florida-bred Grade 3 winner. Dade Babe has also produced a juvenile colt by Lemon Drop Kid, a yearling filly by Hard Spun and was bred to Bodemeister in 2016.
With a record of two wins from four starts, Conquest Hardcandy has earned $82,940.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Conquest-Hardcandy-the-Sanibel-Island-credit-Leslie-Martin.jpg
- Sequel Stallions New York: http://www.sequelnewyork.com/
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/04/01/conquest-hardcandy-sanibel-island/
Patience pays off for Summersault in G3 Orchid
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Coglianese Photos
By Sarah Mace
Under a patient ride by Paco Lopez, William Parsons, Jr. and David S. Howe’s homebred Summersault stretched out successfully to 1 3/8 miles in her graded stakes debut Saturday to post a big victory in Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3, $200,000 Orchid Stakes on turf.
The 5-year-old daughter of Rock Hard Ten was in career form for her twenty-second lifetime start. In allowance optional claiming races on December 16 and February 4 at Gulfstream, the closer had posted game victories at 1 3/16 miles and 1 1/16 miles respectively. Paco Lopez, the winning pilot for both races, had the call for the Orchid from trainer Mark Hennig.
The longshot selection of the field at odds of 9-1, Summersault spent the first three quarters of a mile of the three-turn tilt loping along in fourth place as much as 12 lengths off the lead and saving ground. Meanwhile eager French import Maquette (2-1) led the way through testing fractions of 23.47, 46.12 and 1:10.54, a couple lengths ahead of 4-5 favorite Olorda. Quiet Kitten chased in third.
Summersault closed ground on the frontrunners at the rail while rounding the third turn. She gained third position, while shifting off the fence and embarking on her drive three-wide.
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Coglianese Photos/Kenny Martin
As the pacesetter gave way, she advanced into second outside new leader Olorda in midstretch and poked her head in front just past the sixteenth pole. Summersault kept to business, securing her victory by three-quarters of a length under a strong hand ride. Quiet Kitten nosed Temple Fur for the show.
“I know [pacesetter Maquette] was going very, very fast,” said Paco Lopez. “My filly is always running a little more close, but I don’t push. At the half-mile/five-eighths, I ask my filly. She was coming and coming. She finished very well.”
Trainer Mark Hennig offered the following observation: “If you go back to the one meet [in 2015] that the turf was real hard at Saratoga she won two races. When she can hear her feet rattle over it, she does well.”
Hennig continued, “I was concerned about it a little when the field spread out, because when she finds daylight and is by herself she’ll kind of lose focus. I thought Paco was good and patient with her. Once he got up in behind them, I got more confident.”
Foaled at Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains, Summersault is one of four winners from four foals to start out of Saratoga Summer, a placed Kentucky-bred turf runner by Smart Strike. She last changed hands in 2009 when purchased by McMahon Bloodstock for $67,000 at the Keeneland November sale. Saratoga Summer has a 2-year-old filly by Broken Vow named Summer Squeeze, an unnamed yearling Mineshaft filly and was bred to Union Rags in 2016.
Summersault has come a long way since breaking her maiden at ninth asking at Saratoga in 2015. She followed up with an allowance victory during the same meet and over time marched steadily through her conditions, only making one previous foray into stakes company, when she ran eleventh in the 2016 Mount Vernon. The Orchid win boosts Summersault’s career earnings to $374,983. From 22 starts, she has recorded six wins, five seconds and three thirds.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Summersault-the-Orchid.jpg
- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Summersault-the-Orchid-credit-Kenny-Martin.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/04/01/summersault-in-grade-3-orchid/