Hit Show, another son of Candy Ride entering stud in Kentucky
The 2025 Dubai World Cup (G1) winner will join the roster at Lane's End Farm for an introductory fee of $10,000. He retires with 12 victories, over $9.5 million in earnings, and the distinction of defeating Forever Young at Meydan
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (By a special correspondent).— The Argentine bloodline of Candy Ride continues to write major chapters in American thoroughbred breeding. This time, the news comes by way of Hit Show, one of his standout racing sons, who will retire from the track to join the stallion roster at Lane's End Farm for the 2027 breeding season at an introductory fee of $10,000.
The announcement marks another high-profile stud opportunity for the sire line of the undefeated Argentine champion,which has already established remarkable continuity through stallions such as Gun Runner, Twirling Candy, and Vekoma. Now, it is the turn of a horse whose racing career blended top-class quality, durability, and outstanding consistency across multiple seasons.
Hit Show achieved his crowning triumph in March 2025 when he captured the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan,edging Mixto (Good Magic) by a half-length, with Japanese star Forever Young (Real Steel) finishing third.
That victory—against a field featuring nine group/graded stakes winners, five of them Grade 1 heroes—elevated him to the elite international stage. It also marked the 20th individual Grade 1 winner sired by Candy Ride.
Trained by Brad Cox, Hit Show revealed his potential early on. He won on debut by 5 1/4 lengths at Keeneland and,at age 3, captured the Withers Stakes (G3) by 5 1/2 lengths.
He subsequently finished second by a nose in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) before placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), a performance that cemented his standing among the top sophomores of his generation.
At 4, he reached another level. He put together consecutive victories in the West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3), the Lukas Classic (G2), and the Fayette Stakes (G2), displaying a versatility that allowed him to win across multiple tracks.
During that campaign, he transitioned from the silks of his breeders, Gary and Mary West, to the colors of Wathnan Racing, the operation for which he would go on to secure his signature international victory in Dubai.
His impressive record also features victories in the Louisiana Stakes (G3), the Mineshaft Stakes (G3), and a second triumph in the Fayette Stakes during his 2025 campaign.
In total, Hit Show won 12 of his 29 career starts—eight of them graded stakes—accumulating $9,566,058 in purse earnings.
“He was a high-class horse throughout his entire career. I'm so proud of his consistency, and winning the Dubai World Cup in that manner was truly special,” Cox remarked.
Case Clay, representing Wathnan Racing in the United States, emphasized that the stallion's chief attributes were his durability, consistency, and ability to remain competitive at the highest level year after year.
His pedigree provides equally solid credentials. He is out of the Tapit mare Actress, winner of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2), and his second dam is Milwaukee Appeal (Milwaukee Brew), a champion 3-year-old filly in Canada and a multiple graded stakes performer.
At Lane's End, farm president Bill Farish highlighted the opportunity to add another son of Candy Ride to a roster that already features Twirling Candy.
“Candy Ride has left an indelible mark on the industry and has established himself as a sire of sires. Being able to continue that legacy with another of his top sons is incredibly exciting,” Farish stated.
Hit Show now embarks on his second career, tasked with passing on the stamina and class that carried him to glory in Dubai. For Argentine bloodlines, it represents another promising conduit to expand its influence on the global breeding stage.
