SON OF CANDY RIDE GETS BEST OF BAFFERT DUO IN SAN VICENTE

The buzz going into Sunday’s GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita undoubtedly centered around Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s bid to notch his 10th victory in the Southern California sprint fixture, but when all was said and done, a rallying Sparky Ville (Candy Ride {Arg}) proved too much to handle for Baffert’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ pair. Coliseum (Tapit), held in high regard since breaking his maiden by a flashy 6 3/4 lengths at Del Mar in November, was a brief pace factor before flattening out to finish third, while second-place finisher Dessman (Union Rags) mounted a menacing, wide bid on the turn before being outfinished by Sparky Ville in the final strides.

Sparky Ville broke alertly and settled in fourth as Savagery set the pace through a quarter-mile in :22.07 with Coliseum closely in tow. Coliseum was asked for more on the turn when Dessman circled up to his outside, but ultimately could not go with his previously undefeated stablemate. Dessman seized control at the head of the stretch and held on to his advantage in midstretch, but could not hold off a late rush from Sparky Ville, who angled out to find clear running in upper stretch and surged down the center of the strip to score.

Sparky Ville knocked heads with some of the best in Southern California as a juvenile, finishing second in the GII Best Pal S. behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Instagrand (Into Mischief) and a distant sixth in the GI Del Mar Futurity behind champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}). He notched his first stakes victory in the restricted Sunny Slope S. in Arcadia Oct. 21. Third in the GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar Nov. 17, he was last seen finishing an even sixth in a one-mile turf experiment in the Dec. 28 Eddie Logan S.

Pedigree Notes:

Sparky Ville’s unraced dam Lorelei K (Storm Cat), a $1.5-million Keeneland September yearling in 2007, is a half-sister to GISW Harmony Lodge (Hennessy), MGSW & GISP Graeme Hall (Dehere) and GSW Win McCool (Giant’s Causeway). Second dam Win Crafty Lady captured the GIII Interborough Breeders’ Cup H. This is the same female family that produced last year’s GIII Molly Pitcher S. heroine Berned (Bernardini), who subsequently sold for $825,000 to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings at Fasig-Tipton November.

Sparky Ville becomes the latest graded stakes winner from a prolific cross that has produced the likes of champion Shared Belief and GISW Sidney’s Candy.

SOURCE: TDN 2/10/19