SO SWEET FOR THE CANDY MAN

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The Barry Baldwin trained The Candy Man is a local hero in Brisbane and his win in a Quality Handicap when resuming at Eagle Farm on Saturday epitomised all of the qualities that have carried him to that status.

The seven-year-old gelding was racing first-up after a seven-and-a-half month break away from race action and he was carrying the steadying burden of 61kg … which were already two excuses which could have used had he been beaten. Running a nice second or third would have been a good comeback.

The Candy Man was never going to be happy with a ‘good’ comeback. He would never settle for that and so, anybody knowing his fighting background (all those curve balls thrown at him in life that he has hit out of the park with help from his friends) would not have been surprised that the second placed Skate To Paris, who was carrying 7kg less than the grey, couldn’t get past The Candy Man when it mattered most, this in spite of Skate To Paris being produced at exactly the right time and looking set to sail past and go on to victory.

Brad Stewart had jumped The Candy Man out in the leading line early before settling in second and the third place in the running on the inside rail. A neat shift out on the turn left The Candy Man with a clear run on straightening and he reeled in the early pacesetters You Make Me Smile and Snitch, gradually at first before Stewart pressed the accelerator, hitting the front with 120m to run … but with Skate To Paris now in tow and seemingly closing fast.

It was a last 100m of pure attitude, stubbornness … whatever you like to call … on the part of The Candy Man. Fighting Spirit would be the popular term … the kind of fighting spirit that Queenslanders pride themselves on.
There is just no ‘give’ in his makeup.

That said, huge credit must also go the trainer Barry Baldwin and owner Lucky Pippos, for all they did to save the horses life (never mind his racing career) in the down times and how they then worked out how to put The Candy Man in the kind of happy and positive state of mind which was conducive to helping him not only wanting to race but wanting to race to his optimum level of performance.

Any expense factor did not affect their duty of care and it would have still been a marvellous story if it had ended with The Candy Man being nursed back to health.
A fifty percent strike-rate (11 wins from 22 starts … which includes a Group 3 success in the 2019 Permiers’ Cup) since he started racing again on November 4, 2018 following his horrific injury takes the tale to a whole new level.

It is just quite an amazing story.

This first-up win comes with mixed emotions for the Baldwin stable as it marks both the beginning of a new campaign and, for now at least, the end of the old order, because The Candy Man will now head to Sydney to join the Hawkes stable for a feature race campaign.
You can rest assured though, that will not have any effect on the numbers, or the passion, of The Candy Man’s Queensland support base.

As he goes, it would only be fair to also acknowledge all of the jockeys on the local scene who have played a part in The Candy Man’s journey. Hats off to Brad Stewart, Michael Cahill, Matthew McGillivray, Nathan Day, Damian Browne and Dan Griffin.

And last, but certainly not least a big shout out goes to Felicia Hellings, The Candy Man’s devoted strapper.

Her love for her horse … the way she handles The Candy Man with respect, the hugs, the kisses … all translate into moments which gives those observing the love at the track almost as much pleasure as she gets out of doing what she does so well.

Congratulations to all concerned.

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