BAFFERT’S DANZING CANDY HEADS SATURDAY’S GRADE II, SAN CARLOS STAKES

By Mike Willman —-

BAFFERT’S DANZING CANDY HEADS SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $250,000 SAN CARLOS STAKES AS HE TAKES ON TOP SPRINTERS RANSOM THE MOON & KOBE’S BACK AT SEVEN FURLONGS

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 28, 2017)—Bob Baffert’s Danzing Candy heads a field of five talented sprinters as he cuts back in distance off of a pair of two turn wins in Saturday’s Grade II, $250,000 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs. Although Danzing Candy is the top selection, he’ll have to be on his “A-game” to win as he’ll be facing top sprinters such as Ransom the Moon, a recent Grade II winner and late runner Kobe’s Back, who rates a big chance in what will be his third start of the year.

DANZING CANDY: Originally trained by Clifford Sise, he was a winner of the Grade II San Felipe Stakes at age three and thus was considered a top tier Derby prospect in early 2016. He comes off a pair of gate to wire scores, a third condition one mile allowance here on May 5, and a huge 4 ¾ length win over a muddy surface going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade III Lone Star Park Handicap on May 28. In what was his fourth start for Baffert, Danzing Candy got a career-best 107 Beyer Speed figure in the Lone Star and appears to be at the peak of his powers as he approaches his 11th career start. A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Twirling Candy, he was bred by Ted Aroney’s Halo Farms and is owned by Halo Farms and Jim and Dianne Bashor. Danzing Candy is 10-5-1-1 and has earnings of $550,930.

RANSOM THE MOON: Trained by Phil D’Amato, he turned in his best-ever performance in taking the Grade II, 6 ½ furlong Kona Gold Stakes on May 20 by 2 ¼ lengths, as he wheeled five-wide turning for home to run down the leaders and win going away. A 4 ¼ length winner of a second condition allowance at the same distance here on April 30, he earned a career-top 103 Beyer Speed figure in the Kona Gold, which was his first-ever stakes assignment. Based at Woodbine for most of his career, he’ll try to stay unbeaten in three starts for D’Amato on Saturday. A 5-year-old full horse by Malibu Moon, Ransom the Moon sat close to the pace in his allowance win two starts back, but settled nicely well off the early running in the Kona Gold. Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Jeffry Wilke, he’s 17-4-5-1 and has earnings of $290,829.

KOBE’S BACK: Trained by Peter Eurton and owned by Lee and Susan Searing’s CRK Stable, this venerable 6-year-old full horse by Flatter is notoriously tardy leaving the gate and is a textbook late running sprinter. Fourth, beaten 6 ½ lengths in the Kona Gold, he bobbled leaving the gate, was last in a field of eight three sixteenths from home and although he finished fourth, beaten 6 ½ lengths, he appeared to be well within himself under Gary Stevens and could likely improve by many lengths in what will be his third start of the year. The leading money earner in the field with $1,056,250, Kobe’s Back has an overall mark of 22-5-3-4.

THE GRADE II SAN CARLOS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 4 of 10 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

Danzing Candy—Mike Smith—122
Coastline – Jamie Theriot – 122
Ransom the Moon – Flavien Prat – 126
Cool Cowboy – Joseph Talamo – 122
Kobe’s Back – Gary Stevens – 122

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates will open at 11 a.m.
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Cover Photo: Bob Baffert; Mark Zerof; USA Today