Saturday Sires: Twirling Candy and Union Rags

There were two Grade I races last weekend in North America, one at Saratoga and one at Del Mar. One was on the dirt and one was on the turf, one at 10 furlongs and the other at nine furlongs. Other than both being carded for 3-year-old fillies, what did they have in common?

Each was won by a daughter of a Lane's End sire. Union Rags captured the GI Alabama Stakes with Power Squeeze, while Twirling Candy took the GI Del Mar Oaks with Iscreamuscream. To add to the marvel, the exacta in both races was filled out by daughters of other Lane's End stallions: Candy Ride (Arg)'s Candied was second in the Alabama, while Honor Code's Medoro was second in the Del Mar Oaks. Honor Code's last U.S. crop was born this year as he transferred to Japan for the 2024 season, but Lane's End still stands his son Honor A. P.

In addition, Twirling Candy also won Saratoga's Bolton Landing Stakes Sunday with 2-year-old filly Kimchi Cat and finished second with 4-year-old colt Maker's Candy in Sunday's Evan Shipman Handicap, also at the Spa.

Both stallions represent generations of excellence at Lane's End. Both the sire and grandsire of Union Rags–Dixie Union and Dixieland Band–stood at the Versailles farm, while Twirling Candy is also part of three sire generations for Lane's End. He stands alongside both his sire, Candy Ride (Arg) and his son, Gift Box.

What is the secret to this remarkable, generational success?

“I don't know,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish with a laugh, “but we've been very lucky that way and it's so much fun to see it continue that way. Having sons and grandsons standing here is really special.”

Making it even sweeter, when Lane's End opened its stallion division in 1985, “Dixieland Band was one of our first stallions, so to go from him to Union Rags is special.

“Sire lines matter a great deal. Successful stallions tend to have successful stallion sons, so that's something we've always paid a lot of attention to.”

Like any successful stallion farm, however, Lane's End's focus encompasses far more than what is happening solely with the home sires.

“Our mission is probably similar to others, but we're always looking for the next top stallion and we're excited about some of our younger guys like Flightline, Up to the Mark, and Arcangelo,” said Farish. “It's just important that we keep that pipeline going to attract the horses with the best race records, conformation, and pedigree that we can.”

Twirling Candy and Union Rags entered stud a year apart, the first in 2012 and the second in 2013. Both were highly successful race horses. Twirling Candy won the 2010 GI Malibu Stakes while setting the seven-furlong track record (1:19.70) at Santa Anita that still stands today. Union Rags won not just the 2012 GI Belmont Stakes, but also the 2011 GI Champagne Stakes.

Each has found success in the breeding shed. Iscreamuscream marked the ninth Grade I winner for Twirling Candy, who has 21 graded winners among his 54 black-type winners. Power Squeeze is the sixth Grade I winner for Union Rags, whose 35 stakes winners include 17 graded winners.

Union Rags | Sarah Andrew

“Union Rags doesn't always get quite the support that Twirling Candy has had,” said Farish. “He had a lot of success early, but then it waned a little as there was a little bit of a lull. Now we're seeing the support carrying on.

“Union Rags is such an underrated stallion,” continued Farish. “He's done so well and has been so consistent. To jump up and have another Grade I winner is great. And Twirling Candy is just on a roll. He's really fulfilling the promise that so many people have believed he had. People have had faith in him all along.”

Farish said the two are not only very different physically, but also diverge from their own sires.

“They're both good-sized horses. Union Rags is definitely a little bigger and a little more solidly made, where Twirling Candy is a little more angular. Both are very good-looking horses, both are very commercial, and both get very good-looking horses. They're different in appearance, as all stallions are.

“Twirling Candy is quite a bit different than Candy Ride. He's bigger and longer, but very well balanced. He's really a great-looking horse. I would call him medium to slightly taller than medium.

“Union Rags coming from that Dixieland Band line…he's a little bigger than both his sire and grandsire. He's such a good-looking horse, had such a great career, and is doing so well at stud. He's just got a little more scope than Dixieland Band, who was a little more Northern Dancer, obviously. Union Rags has more scope and size and length.”

TDN Stallions: Twirling Candy from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

Farish also said breeders send the pair a wide variety of mares.

“They attract different types, as they're obviously different sire lines. The Candy Ride sire line opens up to so many different lines where the Northern Dancer line kind of eliminates that, but they've both always gotten good mares. Union Rags does well with a little speed, while everything seems to go well with Twirling Candy.”

Interestingly, that holds true when one glances down the list of broodmare sires represented by each stallion's stakes winners. Twirling Candy's mares cover a large breadth of damsires, while a significant percentage of the stakes winners by Union Rags are out of Mr. Prospector-line mares. Smart Strike is particularly represented, with nine of Union Rag's black-type winners–and five of his graded–directly out of Smart Strike mares.

How appropriate that Union Rags has taken advantage of his opportunities with Smart Strike mares, as the feat last Saturday of Lane's End stallions sweeping the nation's Grade I races harkens back to another remarkable landmark set by Smart Strike. That late Lane's End stallion and two-time leading sire had three individual Grade I winners at Belmont Park on Sept. 30, 2007.

“Smart Strike had three in one day at one track, from 1 1/2 miles to six furlongs,” said Farish. “That was an amazing day; three Grade Is on one card! One of them was Curlin.”

Indeed, that was the day Curlin captured the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles, English Channel won the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at 1 1/2 miles, and Fabulous Strike took the GI Vosburgh Stakes at six furlongs.

Farish said multiple Grade Is on a Saturday for the farm, regardless if it's with one stallion or multiple stallions, is always special.

“With Twirling Candy and Union Rags, it's great and two separate things, really. Each horse is their own situation. We don't really look at it as a farm achievement as much as we're rooting for both horses to do well.”

Both stallions are duly represented in the upcoming Keeneland September sale, with the obvious standout being a filly by Twirling Candy out of Machmer Hall's Special Me (hip 230), making the offering a full-sister to GISW Gift Box.