Country Candy, Imma Wild Bling Take Texas Stallion Stakes at Retama Park
American Racehorse
It perhaps was not the Breeders’ Cup, but Danny Keene’s Keene Thoroughbred’s LLC and trainer J.R. Caldwell earned a big stakes win on Saturday night at Retama Park, one day after watching their Texas-bred Texas Chrome fade to finish to last in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.
Favored Country Candy came through to win as the favorite in the $65,000 Darby’s Daughter Division of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Ridden by David Cabrera, the filly went wire-to-wire and covered six furlongs in 1:10.72.
Country Candy is a daughter of Intimidator, who stands at Keith and Marilyn Asmussen’s Asmussen Horse Center in Laredo, Texas. She was also bred by Keith Asmussen and sold for $65,000 by the Asmussens at the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The filly has hit the board in all six of her starts, including a win in the Evangeline Downs Princess Stakes and three other stakes placings, and she has earned $119,780.
Douglas Scharbauer’s homebred Gold Shock, a filly by Valor Farm stallion My Golden Song, finished a game second and was well clear of third-place finisher Pure Grey, a Too Much Bling daughter running for trainer Steve Asmussen and Clark Brewster.
In the $65,000 My Dandy Division for colts and geldings, it was no surprise that a son of leading Texas stallion Too Much Bling won the race, but the winning horse was a surprise. Sent off at 17-1, Imma Wild Bling drew clear to win by 5 ¼ lengths with Danny Sorenson aboard for trainer Charles Haverkamp and trainer Chuck Fisher. The colt, who was bred by Hall’s Family Trust, sprinted six furlongs in 1:10.67.
Imma Wild Bling broke his maiden at first asking against $20,000 maiden claiming company at Remington Park and was claimed out of that race by his current connections. In his only other start, he finished fifth in a Remington allowance race. This victory was worth $39,000, or nearly twice his purchase price from just more than a month ago.
Too Much Bling formerly stood at Lane’s End Texas and now stands at Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas.
John Silverthorne Ranch Inc.’s Rogue Arrow, a son of Valor Farm stallion Crossbow who came in undefeated after two starts, finished second to become the first stakes horse by his freshman sire.
Tim Cook’s Get Loud, by the late stallion Oratory, took third.