Ontario-bred READY FOR CANDY made it two graded stakes winners Saturday for horses born in this province when she won the Grade 3, $175,000 Winter Memories, a one-mile inner turf route for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.
Owned by American-based Lindy Farm, the three-year-old filly was the first stakes winner for trainer Philip Antonacci, a graduate of Godolphin’s Flying Start program who worked for trainers Wesley Ward and Gai Waterhouse before going out on his own in 2020.
Ready for Candy, who was stakes-placed as a maiden last year for owner Rob Marzilli and trainer Mike DePaulo, was bought by Lindy Farm for $400,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale. The daughter of Twirling Candy – Enoree by More Than Ready was put away, rather than trying for the Woodbine Oaks and other Canadian-bred races.
She made her first start for her new conditioner a winning one when wiring a nine-furlong turf maiden by 7 3/4 lengths last out on August 17 at Saratoga Race Course.
“She’s tough, she’s game,” Antonacci said. “You’ve got to let her do what she wants to do and don’t fight her, but she’ll put her heart out there for you. It’s nice to see.”
In the Winter Memories, under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., Ready for Candy emerged a step slow from post 2 and settled in a stalking position as the sharp-starting Paradise City was overtaken by a hard-sent Scarlet Sands under the wire for the first time. May Day Ready, a last-out pacesetting winner of the Grade 2 Lake Placid, was keen early and rushed up to track the pacesetter while going wide in the first turn and through the opening quarter-mile in 23.45 seconds over the firm footing.
“You can handicap all you want before the race, but when those gates open, anything can happen,” Antonacci said. “Us and May Day Ready both broke a little slow and you had outside speed going – May Day Ready kind of took off and I think Ricardo was patient with her and luckily it set up well.”
Scarlet Sands was alone on the lead down the backstretch with Ready for Candy in fourth behind May Day Ready and Paradise City as the half-mile elapsed in 47.82. A hard-held May Day Ready was allowed to inch closer approaching the turn under Frankie Dettori, and Santana Jr. followed suit three-wide to loom large through three-quarters in 1:12.15.
Paradise City was trapped inside with nowhere to go at the head of the lane, with Scarlet Sands swarmed by May Day Ready and Ready for Candy, but Manny Franco angled Paradise City around the top trio to unleash her bid. Ready for Candy emerged as the new leader and was still clear through seven-eighths in 1:23.68, and though her margin dwindled with each stride, she dug in gamely to stave off Paradise City by a nose in a final time of 1:35.29.
Ready for Candy’s Beyer Figure was 83.
Antonacci added the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 18 here could be the next target for Ready for Candy.
“I think all options are open. We’ll let her come back to us, see how she recovers and make a plan from there, but that’s a logical spot,” Antonacci concluded.
Bred in Ontario by Mark Dodson, Ready for Candy’s previous graded attempts included a troubled 1 1/4-length third over Tapeta in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Mazarine at Woodbine. She banked $96,250 for her Winter Memories victory while improving her record to 9-2-3-2 and returning $7.36 on a $2 win wager.
Ready for Candy’s dam, ENOREE, was a winner and stakes-placed in 11 races and is a daughter of fast stakes winner Woodsmoke, owned and bred by the late Gus Schickedanz. Woodsmoke is from one of the Schickedanz foundation mares, Sharpening Up.
Enoree has produced three-time winner Tiburon, three-time winner Bolt Enoree and placed two-year-old Mister Blue.
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