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Sammy, Greg, Joel Valeriano. with Sammy Valeriano, Jr. holding buckle.
Pulido, who has ridden A Pollitical Candy V in all of his Ruidoso starts.
“I feel blessed to have the opportunity to ride this great horse,” Pulido said.
In the All American Derby final, A Pollitical Candy V broke on top from post 5. He zoomed to the front and continued widening his advantage.
He had 1/2-length at the first call and a length at the top of the stretch. At the wire,
A Pollitical Candy V won by 1 3/4 lengths, covering 440 yards in :20.842 for a 107
speed index. The clocking was just 0.106 off Strawkins’ track record of :20.736 set in 2006.
After the All American Derby victory, Sammy Valeriano spoke with StallioneSearch, saying, “You can’t ask for more than that. I’ve been blessed and I thank the good Lord.”
“This horse is amazing,” Pulido said. “I felt him take off at about 50 yards into the race, and that’s when I knew I had it.”
Earlier in his career, A Pollitical Candy V competed at Los Alamitos. There he ran second in the 2022 Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1 and 2021 Evening Snow Handicap.
Trainer Stacy Charette-Hill bred A Pollitical Candy V in California in partnership with her husband, Randy Hill, who passed away in 2021.
Stacy said that Randy and Michael Pohl bought Rock Candy SA, the dam of A Pollitical Candy V, privately.
Randy Hill and Valeriano often did foal-sharing deals together, and Valeriano ultimately bought Rock Candy SA privately. Part of that transaction included an embryo a recipient mare was carrying. The resultant foal, by Apollitical Jess, is A Pollitical Candy V.
Rock Candy SA has produced six winners
in eight starters, including 2022 Horseshoe Indianapolis QHRAI Derby winner Rock Candy Blue, bred by the Hills, and 2022 All American Juvenile Stakes and Ruidoso Juvenile Invitational Stakes winner Rock A Jess V, bred and owned by Valeriano.
Rock Candy SA is out of 1996 Remington Futurity-G1 winner Send Me The Candy. Rock Candy SA is a half-sister to stakes winners Send Me A Candy Tree, Faster Then U, This Candys Special, and This Candys Royal.
Delight Us All (Corona Cartel-Our Genuine Delight), ridden by Jimmy Brooks, trained by Cody Noel, and owned by Reliance Ranches, finished in second place. The bay gelding, who went off as the longest shot in the field, also qualified for the Rainbow Derby-G1 and finished sixth in that final. Previously, Delight Us All was fifth in the 2022 Heritage Place Derby-G2 in May at Remington Park.
Noe Garcia Jr. rode Lethal Avenger (Volcom- Lethal Class) to third for trainer Fred Danley.
J & SM Inc. and Don and M. Lane Reynolds own the gelding, who won the 2022 West Texas Derby-G3 at Sunland Park and the 2021 La Fiesta Futurity at the Downs at Albuquerque. He also was third in the 2022 Rainbow Derby-G1 and a finalist in the 2022 Ruidoso Derby-G1 and 2021 Rainbow Futurity-G1.
Completing the field were Bomb Cyclone (Favorite Cartel-Remember Me Rose), Muy Peligrosito (One Fabulous Eagle-Peligrosita), FDD Scout (FDD Dynasty-Apollitical Scout), Strong Soul (A Revenant-Mighty Shazoom), Whirlaway Wagon (Whirlaway Red-Lil
Miss Party Doll), and Apolitical Eyeopener (Apollitical Jess-Mongoose Jet Eye). HT Double Jess was scratched.
170 SPEEDHORSE October 2022
Linda Earley, Speedhorse
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse