Candy and Giant Returns a Winner in Gritty but Valuable Effort

The outstanding daughter of Giant's Pleasure went gate to wire to capture the Handicap Jacinto R. Herrera

Candy and Giant Felt the Pace Up Front, But Was Never Seriously Threatened / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Back in action for the first time since a disappointing run in the Gran Premio Maroñas (G2) on January 6 in Uruguay, the talented Candy and Giant made a successful return Thursday at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, capturing the Handicap Jacinto R. Herrera (1200 meters, fast dirt) in one of the day’s feature events.

Carrying the top weight of 61 kilos, the daughter of Giant's Pleasure delivered a performance true to her proven front-running style, one that has made her a dominant force around a turn in recent times. Sent straight to the lead from an outside draw, the dark bay quickly took command under new rider Francisco Lavigna, opening up a clear advantage early and setting sharp fractions of :22.01 and :44.75.

Though she began to feel the effects of the demanding pace in the final 300 meters, Candy and Giant dug deep to repel the late charge of Aiyanna (Santillano, 57kg), who closed strongly but had to settle for second, one length behind. Favored Farika (Bodemeister) flattened out late and finished third, two lengths adrift.

Bred privately by Lucila Florencia Krieger de Sansuste and racing for Stud Feli Paul, Candy and Giant is trained by Martín González and stopped the clock in 1:09.94 for the six furlongs.

Now boasting 9 wins from 18 starts, the mare appears poised to resume her role as a consistent contender in the local sprint division around a turn—her specialty.