Twirling Candy

Cugino has been knocking on the door of a stakes win for Shug McGaughey since breaking his maiden at first asking at Aqueduct last November. In three starts earlier this year, he's been beaten by a length, a neck and a nose to take second in the Colonel Liam S. at Gulfstream in March and the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland in April. Caught way back last time out, he still rallied in first-time blinkers to be fourth in the GII American Turf S. on Derby Day last month. Adding...

There's never a bad day to win your first race but Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) sure picked an opportune day to do it, breaking her maiden and earning 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a dominant effort in the GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct Saturday. A career maiden through seven starts, the $100,000 Keeneland September grad could perhaps be forgiven for running behind the likes of MGSW Dreamfyre (Flameaway), champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and not once...

4th-KEE, $110K, OC, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 2:36 p.m. Unraced since her 'TDN Rising Star' debut at Churchill Downs last September, TWIRLING GOOD TIME (Twirling Candy) returns to the races Sunday for Rigney Racing and trainer Phillip Bauer. Stretching out from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, the $250,000 KEESEP grad will look to carry the speed that saw her go nearly gate-to-wire in her four-length win while posting an 86 Beyer Speed Figure. Out of Celebrategoodtimes, a Harlan's Holiday mare who has produced five foals and as many...

The temperature may be cooler in Lexington this week, but things heated up quickly on opening day at Keeneland with the first graded event of the spring at the Lexington oval coming down to a head bob. It took a photo to determine Red White and Blue Racing LLC's Neat (c, 3, Constitution--Orabella, by More Than Ready) had outpunched Mar. 2 Colonel Liam S. runner-up Cugino (Twirling Candy) by the slimmest of margins in the $400,000 GIII Transylvania S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Lagynos...

In an electrifying display through the late stages, Sixpence (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) overwhelmed nine other rivals and proclaimed himself as one to watch for the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas), dominating the G2 Fuji TV Sho Spring S. on Sunday at Nakayama. Jumping well and close to the pacesetters, Sixpence tucked in neatly behind Allegro Brillante (Jpn) (Deep Brillante {Jpn}) and that one's closest pursuer Cosmo Buddleja (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}) as the pair showed the way. The placings remained consistent until the field passed the 800 metre mark...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - With a pair of colts topping the seven-figure mark, the tempo picked up during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Wednesday. With 144 horses sold Wednesday for $25,488,000, the session average was $177,000--up 6.2% from last year's corresponding session--and the median of $87,500 declined 2.8% from a year ago. The buy-back rate was 31.8%. "I thought it was a very good session," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "It felt like...

8th-Gulfstream, $70,840, Msw, 2-17, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.22, ft, 2 lengths. TOP CONOR (c, 3, Twirling Candy--Divine Dawn {GSP, $187,875}, by Divine Park), the second choice on the board at 5-2, sat narrowly off fifth-time starter Wistucky (Nyquist) through a half in :45.61. Tipped out past the quarter pole by Jose Ortiz, he closed stoutly and got up with plenty left despite drifting close to home to pick up the two-length win on debut over Military Road (Quality Road). Pinhooked as a $200,000 KEESEP yearling and secured by Flanagan Racing for...

8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 3:37 p.m. ET. For a $1-million price tag, Sean Flanagan secured TOP CONOR (Twirling Candy) for his stable at last year's OBS March Sale, which tied the colt for the fourth-highest at the auction and made him his sire's highest-priced 2-year-old in 2023. Previously going for $200,000 during Keeneland September, the Chad Brown trainee is out of GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park), who International Equities acquired with a filly by Nyquist in-utero for $285,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2017. A full-sister to GSW/MSW...

Walmac Farm's Pinehurst (Twirling Candy), winner of the 2021 GI Del Mar Futurity, sired his first reported foal when a filly out of the winning Klimt mare Lady Jewels was born at Southern Comfort Farm on Friday night, Jan. 12. "She is a quality filly with a lot of substance and a beautiful head," said Penny Lopez of Southern Comfort Farm. "We couldn't be happier with the mare's first foal." Pinehurst stands for $7,500.

Today we conclude our survey of Kentucky stallion options with a look at the apex of the pyramid, comprising a couple of dozen standing between $60,000 and $250,000--besides whatever it might take to secure your mare an audience with Justify. It feels presumptuous enough to offer counsel even on cheaper sires, when each mating should boil down to you finding an optimal fit for an individual mare that you know inside out. Still greater hesitation, then, must precede any attempt to discover "value" among this lot. No stallion has any...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo Racecourse. Sunday's G1 Japan Cup at headquarters figures to boil down to a battle between Equinox (Jpn) and Triple Tiara winner Liberty Island (Jpn). Click here for our preview: Saturday, November 25, 2023 5th-TOK, ¥13,720,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT...

8th-AQU, $85k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 3:15p.m. ET Jumping from the middle of the field and carrying an expensive $650,000 KEESEP tag in addition to Irad Ortiz Jr. is CHP Racing's SPENDALOT (More Than Ready). The full-sister to MGSW & GISP Consumer Spending comes into this race with a consistent work tab for conditioner Chad Brown. Beneath her second dam Shaconage (El Prado {Ire}) is the dam of several Chilean Group and stakes runners including GSW & G1SP Jacare (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky) as well as GSP La Jardinera...