Argentine-bred influence Candy Ride finds his way among Meydan’s giants

The Argentine superstar will be doubly represented this Saturday, with his son Hit Show and grandson Il Miracolo both set to line up in the demanding Dubai World Cup (G1)

Il Miracolo, a grandson of Candy Ride through Gun Runner / DRC

By Diego H. Mitagstein

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Special correspondent) – The presence of Candy Ride in the pedigrees of runners contesting major races across the globe has become a familiar and welcome sight. Saturday’s $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup (2000m, dirt) at Meydan will be no exception, with the Argentine-bred titan represented in the lineage of two of the 11 contenders.

On one hand, his son Hit Show will carry the silks of Qatar’s Whatnan Racing, while his grandson Il Miracolo, a son of the formidable Gun Runner, will offer a nod to Venezuelan racing. Trained by Antonio Sano and owned by Alexandres Investments LLC, the chestnut represents the enduring international impact of his bloodline.

Candy Ride came heartbreakingly close to winning the Dubai World Cup through Gun Runner, who finished second to Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) in the 2017 renewal. That would be Gun Runner’s final defeat before embarking on a five-race G1 tear, capturing the Stephen Foster, Whitney, Woodward, Breeders' Cup Classic, and Pegasus World Cup, en route to Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male honors.

Can his son or grandson now complete the mission? Realistically, the task looks steep for both Hit Show and Il Miracolo, who, despite respectable résumés, arrive in Dubai without the aura of America's top older dirt horses—let alone the rising star status of Japan’s Forever Young (Real Steel), whose odds shorten with each passing hour.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, the 5-year-old Hit Show has compiled 8 wins from 17 starts. He exits a third-place effort behind Katonah (Klimt)—also entered in the Dubai World Cup—in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1). As a 3-year-old, he won the Withers S. (G3), was runner-up in the Wood Memorial (G1), and finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1). His graded stakes victories also include the West Virginia Governor’s S. (G3), Lukas Classic (G2), Fayette S. (G2), and the Louisiana S. (G3) earlier this year at Fair Grounds.

Il Miracolo, to be piloted by John Velazquez, has won 4 of 22 starts, most notably the Smarty Jones S. (G3) at Parx Racing and the Ghostzapper S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park. His most recent effort came in last August’s Pacific Classic(G1), where he finished eighth. He was previously runner-up in the Philip H. Iselin S. (G3) and the Fayette S., and placed in the Alysheba S. (G2), Clark S. (G2), Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), and Pennsylvania Derby (G1). To date, he has earned $777,136.

Together with Forli (Aristophanes), Candy Ride remains one of the two most globally influential Argentine-bred sires of all time. While a Dubai World Cup trophy has eluded him thus far, his enduring presence at the highest levels of international racing continues to affirm his remarkable legacy.