Sidney's Candy, a hopeful for the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT), covered a half mile on firm turf in :50 under exercise rider Annie Finney at Churchill Downs Oct. 25. Trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm and Rubio Stable, clockers got the first quarter in :27 flat and a gallop-out time of 1:03 2/5 for five furlongs.
“It was a good work,” Pletcher said of Sidney’s Candy, who ran third in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland in his most recent start Oct. 8. “It looked like he got over the ground well and finished strong.”
Bred in Kentucky by Jenny Craig and her late husband Sidney, Sidney’s Candy enters the Mile off a record of 7-4-1 from 16 starts, for earnings of $1,104,810.
Pletcher said he would remain in Louisville through the Nov. 4-5 Breeders’ Cup. His last contingent of World Championship runners arrived from New York the morning of Oct. 24.
Leading that contingent was the Repole Stable-owned duo of Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty . Both colts jogged once around the main track Oct. 25, with Hector Ramos on Uncle Mo and Fernando Zamora on Stay Thirsty.
Pletcher plans to work both colts Oct. 30.
“We pre-entered 11 altogether,” Pletcher said. “Hunt Crossing (Sentient Jet Juvenile Sprint); Stopshoppingmaria (Grey Goose Juvenile Fillies, gr. I); Sweet Cat (Juvenile Fillies Turf, gr. IIT); Her Smile (Sentient Jet Filly & Mare Sprint, gr. I); Super Espresso (Ladies’ Classic, gr. I); Finale (Juvenile Turf, gr. IT); Rule (Dirt Mile, gr. I); Sidney's Candy (Mile); and Aikenite ,who was cross-entered in the Sentient Jet Sprint (gr. I) and Dirt Mile, plus Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty.”
Pletcher’s winners last year were Uncle Mo in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), Pluck in the Juvenile Turf, and More Than Real in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
“I feel good about all my horses and it looks like the ones that came in yesterday all shipped well,” Pletcher said in a release. “We have some important works coming up and you hold your breath (until the event is here).”
Pletcher was asked if there were any of his runners that might be flying under the radar coming into this year’s championships.
“We’ve got a few that are in that category,” Pletcher said with a laugh. “Her Smile won the Prioress (gr. I) and got the perfect set-up and would need something similar. Super Espresso, we are going off her work here the other day (five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 over a fast track Oct. 22). She trained here in the spring before going to Pimlico (for a victory in the DuPont Distaff, gr. III), so for her it is racetrack related. Aikenite runs well here.”