Candy Ride (Ride The Rails) is a feel-good story about a stallion who will soon turn 28, and who in 2026 covered 99 mares at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky at a fee of $60,000. That is an unusually high number for a 27-year-old stallion.
In the past two years he has covered 73 and 74 mares.
From Argentina to California
Two years ago I wrote an article about Candy Ride, which can still be found on the site in Danish. The short version is that Candy Ride began his career as a two-year-old in non-tote races on the Argentine pampas.
As a three-year-old he made his debut and won three races by huge margins, and he went on to be named champion miler in Argentina.
He was then sold to California, where he won three more races and ended his career unbeaten in six starts.
A stud career beyond all expectations
At stud there was not much interest to begin with, as he had never run in the Triple Crown races or in the Breeders’ Cup, but the results turned out to be far beyond expectations, and he was quickly sent more and better mares.
For many years he has belonged at the top of North American breeding, and on the all-time list of North American stallions by total progeny earnings he is fourth behind Into Mischief, Tapit and Curlin.
For 2027 Lane’s End Farm stands him at an unchanged $60,000. At the same stud stands one of his best sons, Twirling Candy, who is set at $75,000 for 2027. So Candy Ride remains very good business for Lane’s End.
Two sons at the top in America
Two of his other sons belong among the very best in the United States – and could be champions to come.
Gun Runner is 13 and stands at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky at a private fee. In 2026 he will finish third on the overall North American list, but on the list of sires of three-year-olds he looks set to win it. One of the horses pulling hard in his favour is the colt Further Ado, who has just won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Gr.1).
Vekoma is 10 and has only three crops of racing age. Even so he is as high as seventh on the overall list. He stands at Spendthrift Farm, the largest of them all in Kentucky, at a fee of $100,000.
Here he is a stablemate of this year’s incoming champion in the United States, Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday).
