Candy Ride made a feast at the start of the Derby Trail at Churchill Downs

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 13 at Churchill Downs, two unmistakable signs were left for breeding programs: the road to the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks began under the long shadow of Candy Ride (Ride The Rails). His paternal grandsons, Spice Runner (Gun Runner) in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) and Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World) in the Pocahontas Stakes (G3), won with different arguments but with a common denominator: a genetic framework showing unmatched biomechanical efficiency, once again validating the Argentine stallion’s dynasty in the United States, the most competitive industry in the sport. Far from being a coincidence, the double reconnects a thread that binds generations: Candy Ride, his sons, and now his sons’ sons, who today define much of the excellence standard for producing milers with great speed and just enough stamina to sustain a strong pace, the ideal profile to win these types of two-year-old races. Moreover, it confirmed the effectiveness of the Candy Ride–Storm Cat nick.

Spice Runner (Gun Runner) winning in the last stride in the Iroquois (G3).

The Iroquois Stakes (G3), the first link in the Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying calendar, set up an early tactical clock battle. With fractions of 22.69 and 46.06 for the opening quarter and half-mile, Comport (Collected), ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, tried to wire the field and looked dangerous passing six furlongs in 1:10.83. But the Churchill Downs mile rarely forgives poor energy management. Breaking from post five, Spice Runner, ridden by Jose Ortiz Jr. and trained by Steven Asmussen for Ron Winchell, already made famous by his sire, Gun Runner (Candy Ride), sat relaxed off the pace, switched leads at the top of the stretch on Ortiz’s cue, and with a devastating turn of foot, ground down the frontrunner to get up in the final stride. The final time of 1:36.59 for the mile earned him the first 10 qualifying points toward the Derby, and more importantly, confirmed his image as a “work in progress” colt with genuine upside. Even with some self-inflicted greenness in the stretch, once straightened he showed a long stride and the impression of a serious colt who knows what’s being asked of him. His team admitted as much afterward: still mentally immature, but with an engine that responds the more it’s pressed.

The Iroquois Stakes (G3), the first link in the Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying calendar, set up an early tactical clock battle. With fractions of 22.69 and 46.06 for the opening quarter and half-mile, Comport (Collected), ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, tried to wire the field and looked dangerous passing six furlongs in 1:10.83. But the Churchill Downs mile rarely forgives poor energy management. Breaking from post five, Spice Runner, ridden by Jose Ortiz Jr. and trained by Steven Asmussen for Ron Winchell, already made famous by his sire, Gun Runner (Candy Ride), sat relaxed off the pace, switched leads at the top of the stretch on Ortiz’s cue, and with a devastating turn of foot, ground down the frontrunner to get up in the final stride. The final time of 1:36.59 for the mile earned him the first 10 qualifying points toward the Derby, and more importantly, confirmed his image as a “work in progress” colt with genuine upside. Even with some self-inflicted greenness in the stretch, once straightened he showed a long stride and the impression of a serious colt who knows what’s being asked of him. His team admitted as much afterward: still mentally immature, but with an engine that responds the more it’s pressed.

Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World) finished more than five lengths clear of the runner-up.

The reasons behind these victories run deep: pedigrees. Spice Runner is by Gun Runner and out of a mare by Cowboy Cal (Giant’s Causeway). That combination creates a 3Sx3D duplication of Giant’s Causeway, since Gun Runner’s dam, Quiet Giant, and Cowboy Cal both descend from him. Notably, he’s a full brother to Gunite, a Grade 1 winner at seven furlongs as a juvenile who stretched out successfully with age. His female family is also strong: beyond MG1W Gunite, his second dam is a stakes winner, and the family includes the Listed winner Home Bred (Street Sense) and his G2-winning brother Air Strike (Street Sense).

Taken by the Wind, meanwhile, carries the stamp of Rock Your World, a Candy Ride who won the Santa Anita Derby (G1). He also adds the genetic mark of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat), though in a different pattern: a 4Sx3D cross, with Rock Your World bringing him in via the third generation on top, and the filly’s dam, Up for Grabs, introducing him again through First Samurai (Giant’s Causeway). She also doubles up Fappiano and Herbager in the fifth generation. Add in the influence of Empire Maker (Unbridled) atop Rock Your World, and you get the ingredient needed not just for September wins, but for surviving winter and showing up in May for the Kentucky Oaks.

Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World) in the paddock before the Pocahontas (G3).

None of this happens in a vacuum. The double at Churchill comes in a year when Candy Ride’s mark is everywhere. His son Hit Show won the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March. Gun Runner keeps producing graded winners. Twirling Candy maintains elite statistics. Vekoma, from his first crop, advanced strongly among new sires. Rock Your World, with this first stakes winner, steps onto the freshman stage. At Keeneland September, Gun Runner yearlings lit up buyers with multiple seven-figure prices, including a $3,300,000 topper.

Against that backdrop, Saturday at Churchill means more than it seems. Spice Runner, with his 1:36.59 mile and furious late kick, showed the Gun Runner–Cowboy Cal formula not only repeats but does so with quality. Taken by the Wind, with 1:36.50 and a 5 ¼-length margin, profiled herself as a filly ready for a class hike. Expect to see Spice Runner in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Taken by the Wind in the Alcibiades (G1).

There’s also a subtler but equally decisive point, the “grandfather’s party” isn’t just a catchy label—it describes intergenerational transmission. Candy Ride crosses beautifully with A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) or Storm Cat (Storm Bird) lines, especially when reinforced with Giant’s Causeway at 3x4 or 4x4. That’s why his grandsons with Storm Cat via Giant’s Causeway excel. Spice Runner and Taken by the Wind are two fresh, visible examples.

Candy Ride (Ride The Rails) galloping in his stallion paddock at Lane’s End.

As twilight fell at Churchill, beyond two checks and the first 10 points beside each winner’s name, the feeling was that we witnessed the foundations of something bigger. Spice Runner earned the right to look toward fall with ambition and spring with hope, while Taken by the Wind obliterated the line between promise and reality with an authoritative performance. For geneticists, the takeaway is clear: duplications to Giant’s Causeway at middle distances remain gold when planted in Candy Ride’s fertile soil. For breeders and buyers, the message is equally clear, the dynasty of Candy Ride, now in its third generation, continues producing horses who win important races and sustain a strong marketplace.