| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
McAnally hopes Candy Ride reaches potential in Pacific Classic
Saturday August 23, 2003DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally has saddled eight starters in the Pacific Classic and has yet to win the $1 million race. He hopes Candy Ride changes all that Sunday at Del Mar.
McAnally saw potential in Candy Ride last year after watching videotape of the horse's races in Argentina. The 4-year-old won two Group 1 races in his native country and is 2-for-2 in his U.S. starts.
What caught McAnally's eye?
``I loved his action,'' he said. ``He had fluid action and that's one of the most important things, plus he beat his competition by 10, 12, 15 lengths down there. It was no effect for him. He's just an amazing horse.''
McAnally would love to win the 1\-mile race as much for himself as for owners Sid and Jenny Craig, who founded her own line of weight loss centers.
``They've had a long dry spell, and they certainly deserve a good horse,'' McAnally said. ``We bought several other horses in the past to try to win this race but it just didn't seem to work out.''
The Craigs paid $900,000 for Candy Ride, who will carry Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone. She replaces injured Gary Stevens.
Sid Craig said he talks to McAnally more about Candy Ride than all the other horses he and the trainer have had together. None of McAnally's previous starters finished in the money.
``The horse has done everything so far that he's been asked,'' Craig said. ``So all we have to do is keep our fingers crossed and just hope he continues doing that.''
Candy Ride will take on Medaglia d'Oro and Milwaukee Brew, two powerful runners from Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel's barn. Frankel is seeking a record seventh Pacific Classic win. The fourth entrant is Fleetstreet Dancer.
Kudos dropped out Friday because of a bowed tendon in his left foreleg.
Trainer Richard Mandella said Kudos injured himself during a 5-furlong workout Thursday.
``It's not a terribly bad bow, but it's bad enough,'' Mandella said. ``We'll do some surgery on him, and then we'll work on it and give him time off and we'll try him again next year.''
The four starters comprise the smallest field in the race's 13-year history.
Whitney Handicap winner Medaglia d'Oro is the even-money favorite for his first-ever race at Del Mar. His $3.2 million in career earnings make him the richest North American horse in training.
Two-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Milwaukee Brew finished third last year behind Came Home. Edgar Prado will ride Milwaukee Brew for the sixth straight race. Jerry Bailey will ride Medaglia d'Oro.
``Bobby is real confident that they will run well,'' said Humberto Ascanio, Frankel's top assistant.
All starters will carry 124 pounds.
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