Paramount Prince is Back, Ba Dee Yah and 'Candy' Big Winners

What a weekend it was for Canadian-bred horses racing in Florida, New Orleans and Kentucky. Three locals won stakes races and throughout last week there were at least half a dozen winners in total. You can read about the Florida Oaks (G3) victory by WASKESIU (American Pharoah) on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs here. The Chiefswood three-year-old filly posted an 83 Beyer Speed Figure in that victory.

The return to the races of 2023 King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE (Society’s Chairman) was one of the highlights as the chestnut gelding of Mike Langlois and Gary Barber won an allowance/optional claiming race on Tapeta at Gulfstream Park on March 10 at 1 1/8 miles. Well prepared by trainer Mark Casse, Paramount Prince was 3-to-5 in a small field and led all the way with fractions of 24.09, 47.48 and 1:11.53, finally winning under Irad Ortiz in 1:48.55 for an 89 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

It was the first race for the four-year-old since he was 13th in the Breeders’ Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on grass last October. He was third in the Prince of Wales Stakes to Velocitor following his Plate Trial and Plate victories.

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Bred by Ericka Rusnak, Paramount Prince (‘Maverick’) has a three-year-old half-brother named Its Time to Shine who is with owner/trainer John Ross, a two-year-old filly, Souper Supreme, and a yearling filly by Silent Name (Jpn).

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BAH DEE YAH could be dancing in July, or August, if the three-year-old filly is brought to Canada by her American owners and trainer. The Ontario-bred daughter of Uncle Mo – Pearl Turn by Bernardini won her first stakes race, taking the off-the-turf Allan ‘Black Cat; LaCombe Stakes at 1 mile and 70 yards on the dirt. Bred by David Anderson’s Anderson Farms Ontario, Inc., Bah Dee Yah pressed the early pace and then powered on to win 5 3/4 lengths in 1:42.79 for a career best 81 Beyer Figure. Trained by Tom Amoss, the half-sister to Cnadian champion Gretzky the Great has 2 wins in 5 races for Gold Standard Stable of Bill and Mary Stone, Rod Ratcliff and Denise Murray.

Purchased as a yearling at the 2022 Fasig Tipton October sale for $485,000, Bah Dee Yah has a yearling sibling by Medaglia D’Oro and Pearl Turn is reportedly in foal to Uncle Mo for this year. Ba Dee Yah is on Canadian Thoroughbred‘s Contenders for the King’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks list, which you can read here.

Ontario bred Ba Dee Yah won the ‘Black Cat’ LaCombe Stakes at Fair Grounds on the weekend and is Woodbine Oaks/King’s Plate contender – Fair Grounds photo

CANDY OVERLOAD was fresh as a daisy and happy about it when he returned to action on March 9 for the Big Daddy Stakes at Turfway Park. The son of Reload, unraced since last August when ninth in the Bold Venture Stakes (G3) at Woodbine, motored down the centre of the track under Axel Concepcion to win the $95,000 stake at 6 furlongs on Tapeta with an 89 Beyer Figure.

Owned by Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber, Candy Overload, who was off Lasix, sped the distance in 1:10.79.

Sent off at 13-to-1 as the second-longest shot in the race, Candy Overload returned prices of $28.40, $8.08 and $3.88.

Candy Overload has now won six of his 22-career starts and banked purse earnings of $498,522. The six-year-old from the mare Mini Candy by Candy Ride (Arg) was bred by Sherry Mclean’s Northern Dawn Stables and Denny Andrews.

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He may be nine years old, but Grade 1 winner SILENT POET is still winning in the trenches. The Stronach Stables’ homebred by Silent Name (Jpn), who is co-owned by Joel Hunsberger, won an off-the-turf allowance/optional claiming race at Fair Grounds on the weekend at 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:43.30. The dark bay led all the way and won by 3/4 of a length to earn $36,000. Currently the gelding is trained by Tanner Tracy who got the horse from John Sadler, who trained Silent Poet in California.

Silent Poet won the Grade 1 Highlander Stakes in 2021 when he was trained by Nick Gonzalez . He has also won the Grade 2 Nearctic and Play the King Stakes, among other races. Silent Poet has a record of 13-8-4 in 38 races with earnings of $1,066,684.

Ontario sire Society’s Chairman also had a winner at Fair Grounds as ONE TRUE GENTLEMAN won a maiden special weight on March 7 for owner/breeder Camhaven Farms and trainer Steve Flint. The four-year-old, out of the Smart Strike mare Wild Strike, won the 5 1/2 furlong race on yielding turf by 3/4 of a length in 1:05.38 for a 77 Beyer Figure.