A Florida-Bred Exacta

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Last down the backstretch and bumped several times at the top of the stretch, a resilient Florida-bred W W Candy made up four lengths in the Hawthorne homestretch to win the $75,000 Work All Week Handicap by a neck with fellow Florida-bred Tape to Tape second. It was the first career stakes victory for the 6-year-old son of Twirling Candy who finished the six-and-a-half furlongs in 1:16.61 on the fast track against six other 3-year-olds and older.

Ridden by Abel Lezcano from post four, W W Candy was last and five lengths behind the frontrunning Tape to Tape, who had a clear lead down the backstretch while finishing the quarter mile in :22.80. W W Candy circled the field around the bend before Devil’s Tower pushed him into Midnight Escape at the top of the stretch. W W Candy bounced off those two rivals several times then recovered to make his late run at Tape to Tape. Tape to Tape held on past the sixteenth pole before W W Candy surged to the lead in the final strides.

High-weighted with 122 pounds, 9-5 favorite Tape to Tape finished a length-and-a-half faster than third-place finisher Went West.

Trained by Max Quinonez for In His Favor Stable, W W Candy paid $13.20 to win under 118 pounds.

The victory was the second in three starts for W W Candy, who won an upper level, $40,000 optional claiming by a length-and-a-half on June 14 before finishing third behind winner Breslau after a slow start in a second level, $40,000 optional claiming last out on June 27, both going six furlongs at Hawthorne.

W W Candy has now won 10 of 31 career starts with four seconds and six thirds and improved his earnings to $181,613. He is out of Tinca’s Song, by Unbridled’s Song and was bred by Vincent Perez’s Farm III Enterprises LLC.

He is a two-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales having last sold for $17,000 to W.P. Stiritz at the 2019 June Sale where he was consigned by de Meric Sales. He was a $24,000 RNA at the 2018 OBS October Yearling Sale where he was consigned by Summerfield.

The unraced Tinca’s Song has four winners from five starters with no black type runners as the Work All Week was an overnight handicap. A $170,000 Keeneland September yearling in 2006, she sold for $100,000 to Agropecuaria Unida at the 2008 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale after being bred to Malibu Moon.