Sunday, August 21, 2011

Juvenile Spotlight: Sweet Swap


One of my favorite things to do is find young horses that have the potential to be superstars. It is very entertaining and rewarding to "discover" two-year-olds before they go on to record prestigious victories. Juvenile Spotlights highlight some of the two-year-olds I have "discovered." Some Juvenile Spotlights feature horses right after they have broken their maiden or after they record their first major victory. Either way, I have followed these horses since before they hit the headlines. I don't do a Juvenile Spotlight on every two-year-old I "discover", but I try to feature as many as I can.
Sidney's Candy
Photo: Terri Cage

On July 31, grade one-winner Sidney’s Candy won the Fourstardave Handicap (GII). On August 20, his little brother, Sweet Swap, impressively won a five and one-half furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar. Though Sidney’s Candy is now owned by WinStar Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, he began his racing career with the Craig Family Trust and John Sadler. His two-year-old full brother, Sweet Swap, is with Sidney’s Candy’s original connections.
Both are chestnut sons of Candy Ride (ARG) out of the Storm Cat mare, Fair Exchange. In Sidney’s Candy’s second start, he set a track record for five and one-half furlongs at Del Mar in 1:02.71. Nearly precisely one year later, Sweet Swap won his debut in 1:03.76. Though almost exactly a second slower, Sweet Swap was very impressive in a field full of first-time starters.

Needless to say, the two-year-old colt has many hopes pinned to him. His full brother is a graded stakes winner on dirt, turf, and synthetic and a breaker of two track records. Though Sweet Swap may not have the same success as his older brother, he very well may be a future superstar.
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