The Allaire Distaff Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
PIM- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
May 20, 2016

Running against winners in a Graded Stake, it would be easy to overlook Halloween Candy in this race.  However, despite her maiden status, she got quite a bit of respect at the betting window, and went off at reasonable 6/1 odds.   She had been coming off a strong run in the Gazelle last month, which certainly showed her to be a top class filly, but still the path of winning a Grade 3 as your first race is one that is not often traveled.  It has been observed that three year olds right now seem to be feasting on older horses thanks in part to the weight allowance that they are given, so with that being said, Halloween Candy became more of an appealing entry here.   Today, she showed up and ran a big race while a few others pulled a no show.  The winning trainer is Harrell Racing, who picks up the fourth graded win of his career.  We are proud to congratulate him on the victory!  The time of the win was 1:48.79, slightly better then last years time, which was the first year the stake was run at the distance.  Here’s a deeper look at it.

1st- 4- Halloween Candy (6/1)- Our eventual race winner from Harrell Racing had absolutely no interest in the early pace, dropping five lengths out of it prior to the opening turn and as many as eight lengths back within the turn.  In the backstretch, she would make very gradual progress on those in front of her, and cut that deficit to six lengths as they move into the final turn.   J R Leparoux was patient in the turn, waiting for the perfect lane to open up for her, and was smart to not try and force the issue and move her all the way to the outside.  The backing up of Kayce would provide the perfect lane for her, and Halloween Candy seized the opportunity.  Still, it wasn’t until there was a less then a furlong to do where it looked like she would have a real shot at passing True To Form instead of just trying to get second.  There were still three lengths to make up.  The combination of her not giving up, and running hard all the way to the wire, and some late giving in by True To Form made this pass look easier then it seemed like it would be!  Halloween Candy would get the job done, and finally become a winner, in the last strides.  The winning time, again, was 1:48.79.  Congrats to Harrell Racing on a job well done!  Halloween Candy is a three year old filly by Candy Stripes Jr and out of Ghosts In The Attic .  She was bred in California as a second quarter two year old by Harrell Racing, the only trainer for which she has ever known!

2nd- 3- True To Form (9/1)- The runner up was the only other three year old in the race, and the Mb Stables filly would start relatively well from the gate.  She would advance in the turn, and soon emerged as the second place horse behind Baja Burrito as they ran down the backstretch.  She would begin to reel in the leader prior to the turn, and have the pass completed by the time they hit the top of the stretch.  At this point, she looked to be in a very good position just as long as she could maintain her stride.  With less then a furlong to go, she seemed to be in the clear, leading by two lengths.   Halloween Candy was coming but it still seemed as though True To Form would hold her off by the time they got to the wire.  In the final half furlong, she lost most of her ground.  I would have liked to have seen a little more fight out of her here.

3rd- 6- A Class Angie (10/1)- The Night Rider Stables entry got off to an average start and found herself midpack for the early portion of the race.  During the backstretch trip, she was part of a tight battle for fourth, about four lengths from the leaders.  She wanted to move up in the turn, but ran into the back of Vertigineux, and Sonoma was in the lane to her outside.  At the top of the stretch, she had no alternative but to nudge Sonoma out of her way and make a hard charge to the wire.  That push was admirable, but she had conceded too much ground to True To Form, and Halloween Candy was already ahead of her making a similar move.

4th- 1- Sweep The Ash (2/1)- Our pre race favorite also ended up the choice of the betting public, and the Eastern Equine entry would disappoint more then just her trainer on this day.  Her start was average, and she would end up conceding the rail pretty quickly to Kayce on the backstretch.  At the top of the stretch, Sweep The Ash was full of run, and had battled her way up to the second position.  With about a furlong to go, that powerful stride seemed to subside a bit, allowing two to get by without much trouble.

5th- 8- Baja Burrito (10/1)- The Buddhabase entry was ready to run early, breaking alertly out of the gate, and leading the field around the opening the turn.  She would extend her lead during the turn and open up by about 2 ½ as she set the opening half in :47.26.  Led during the backstretch, and at 3/4, setting that fraction in 1:11.23, but True To Form was coming, and Baja Burrito had no answer for that.  Once passed for the lead, this filly didn’t have much fight to hold off the others, either.

6th- 7- Sonoma (99/1)- The longest shot of the board from Alabarda Stable was never much of a factor in the race.  At first, it appeared as though she was starting decently just a few lengths from the leaders, but would end up settling for a five wide trip in a battle for third for much of the backstretch portion.  During the turn, it looked like J Pimentel had idea of making a power move and advancing several positions before the stretch, he just didn’t have the horse underneath him to pull it off.  At the top of the stretch, A Class Angie would nudge her out of the way, and she had no answer for that move.  Ran steady to the wire.

7th- 2- Vertigineux (4/1)- It would be a disappointing result for the D J C Racing Stables entry.  Vertigineux started in the middle of the back, and would be there around the opening turn and early on down the backstretch.  She would then look to clear those she had been running with, and as they moved toward the final turn, she had advanced to third and really seemed to be in a great position.  At the top of the stretch, there was simply no spark to her.  Vertigineux didn’t disappear in the stretch, she had no response when she needed to show it the most.

8th- 5- Kayce (9/2)- Fast out of the gate, and initially looked like it might be her setting the early fractions, the Oval Express Farms entry would back off from Baja Burrito in the opening turn.  While she would be able to get to the rail, she never really looked comfortable in the backstretch, and gradually lost more and more ground.  As they moved into the top of the stretch, she was just waiting for the race to finally be over at that point.

Track: Fast
Time: :47¹  1:11¹  1:35⁴  1:48³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 3 Paid 65.20
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 3 – 6 Paid 1,359.90

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES