The Candy Ride Legacy Keeps Rolling: Rock Your World Making Noise in Kentucky

In his debut season at stud, the son of the Argentine champion ranks third on the U.S. first-crop sire list with 9 winners, 3 of them stakes-placed

Rock Your World Off to a Promising Start at Stud / SPENDTHRIFT FARM

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- The influence of Candy Ride (Arg) continues to stretch across the global breeding landscape. The Argentine superstar not only proved to be an elite stallion himself, but has also passed along that generosity to many of his sons, who today stand out at various farms in the U.S. and abroad.

Names such as Gun Runner, Twirling Candy, Vekoma, Game Winner, Clubhouse Ride, and Valiant Minister are already well-established, while farther south sires like Señor Candy, Sloane Avenue, Sidney’s Candy, and Leofric are also making headlines. And still, several others are waiting for their turn in the spotlight.

This year, another son of Candy Ride has begun to make noise at stud. Rock Your World, who stood for $5,000 in 2025 at Spendthrift Farm, currently sits third on the Freshman Sires’ list by both earnings and winners, trailing only Yaupon (Uncle Mo) and Knicks Go (Paynter).

Breaking through early is never easy when covering mostly mid- to lower-level mares, but that was the very path Candy Ride himself followed, and one that several of his successful sons have also taken.

On the racetrack, Rock Your World showed flashes of brilliance, though soundness issues limited his career. From just seven starts—all as a 3-year-old—he won three, highlighted by a victory in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) over the subsequently disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico), as well as the Pasadena S. (L). He also finished second in the Shared Belief S. (L), again behind Medina Spirit.

Out of the G1-placed stakes winner Charm the Maker (Empire Maker) and a full-brother to G3-placed She’s Our Charm, Rock Your World represents the proven Candy Ride–Storm Cat cross. His second dam, Charm the Giant (Giant’s Causeway), captured the Wilshire H. (G3) and hails from a deep female family that includes the likes of Olympic Charmer (Olympio) and Herecomesthebride (Al Attab).

From an initial crop of 112 foals, Rock Your World has already seen 30 runners, with nine winners and three stakes-placed juveniles: Khon Han, runner-up in Gulfstream’s Proud Man S. (L); Oriole Way, second in Saratoga’s Seeking the Ante S. (L); and Color Comin’ In, third in the Debutante S. (L) at Churchill Downs.

Early indications suggest Rock Your World is poised to carry on Candy Ride’s legacy—not only as a top-class racehorse but also as a stallion capable of transmitting that same versatility and quality. As his first crop continues to mature, expectations are rising that his best is yet to come, giving South America yet another source of pride through one of its most influential exports.