Ryerson hopes the stars align for Cosmic Candy Girl in $125K Key Cents

DiRico Racing and Breeding’s Cosmic Candy Girl steps into stakes company for the first time in Thursday’s $125,000 Key Cents, a one-mile inner turf route for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Jim Ryerson, Cosmic Candy Girl [post 7, Kendrick Carmouche] has made all three starts in state-bred company, beginning with a strong second on debut sprinting seven furlongs in an off-the-turf maiden contested over sloppy and sealed footing on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course.

The Twirling Candy bay improved when shifted to turf on August 31 at the Spa with a nose second traveling 1 1/16-miles. There, she saved ground in fourth position and made an inside rush late in the final turn before steadying near the three-sixteenths behind the leaders. Cosmic Candy Girl regained momentum and surged between rivals to hold a narrow advantage inside the final furlong only to be nailed at the wire by the clear-sailing Boomington, a returning rival here.

Last out, in a local 1 1/16-mile turf route on September 27, Cosmic Candy Girl stalked and pounced to a comfortable score over returning rival Considerate City. The 1 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:43.69 earned a career-best 63 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She's a nice little filly - all turf, although she did run second for us in the slop one day,” Ryerson said. “We love how she's doing and hopefully the weather holds up for Thursday.”

Cosmic Candy Girl worked a half-mile in 49.25 seconds Friday over the Belmont Park dirt training track in company with Funny Factor, who is targeting the $125,000 Notebook on November 14 here.

“She breezed well this morning and galloped out great,” Ryerson said.

Bred by 30 Year Farm, the $130,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Galileo mare Evening Primrose. Her fourth dam is Reine-de-Course mare Weekend Surprise, who produced Hall of Famer AP. Indy. Her third dam, Weekend Storm, produced multiple Grade 1-winning $3 million earner Court Vision, who captured the 2011 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Icon Racing Stable, Team Penney Racing and Peter Dorsman’s Sacred Goddess [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] will stretch out in distance for trainer Jeremiah Englehart.

The Kantharos bay endured a troubled trip last out in the Listed Glorious Song, a seven-furlong Tapeta sprint on October 12 at Woodbine Racetrack. There, Sacred Goddess was bumped hard at the break, steadied behind rivals and forced to race from last-of-7 in the early going. Sacred Goddess improved her position down the backstretch and advanced willingly up the rail through the turn to third before evening out late and landing fourth.

The $200,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase made her first three outings on turf, graduating on debut in a 5 1/2-furlong state-bred sprint on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course when a neck better than next-out maiden winner Trading Trouble.

Sacred Goddess followed with a 3 1/4-length fourth in the Spa’s Listed Bolton Landing at 5 1/2-furlongs ahead of a four-length fourth in the six-furlong state-bred Joseph A. Gimma on September 19 here.

Sacred Goddess, bred by Trail Creek Stables, is out of the Quality Road mare That’s My Cue. Her second dam, Hondo’s Way, is a half-sister to Nothing But Fun – winner of the 2005 Grade 2 Cotillion Handicap at Philadelphia Park, who was twice Grade 1-placed on the NYRA circuit.

Pine Ridge Stable’s homebred Miss Moxee [post 6, Jose Lezcano] will try turf for the first time following a trio of starts over the Presque Isle Downs synthetic.

Trained by Linda Rice, the Son of Thunder dark bay earned a 64 Beyer Speed Figure when romping to a frontrunning 7 1/4-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden claimer on September 16. She then stepped up to six furlongs and earned a 4 1/2-length third in an optional-claiming event on October 9.

Miss Moxee returned on one week’s rest against males in a one-mile optional-claiming event that featured four fillies in a field of six and stalked and pounced to a 2 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:38.83. The winning effort returned a 47 Beyer.

She is out of the turf stakes-placed Invisible Ink mare Lotto Ticket, while her second dam is Grade 3-winner Theresa’s Tizzy.

Trainer George Weaver will send out a trio of contenders in maiden winners Boomington [post 4, John Velazquez], Fancy Lights [post 8, Flavien Prat] and She’s Country [post 1, Javier Castellano].

Emcee Stable, Fortune Farm and Corey Lonberger’s Boomington, by Maxfield, graduated on debut in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred route on August 31 at the Spa when rallying from sixth and 7 1/2-lengths off the pace to score by a nose over the aforementioned Cosmic Candy Girl.

She followed last out with a non-threatening ninth in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 4 here – a strong race that saw the victorious Ground Support exit to run third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf while Miss Grillo runner-up Deep Learning returned to win Thursday’s Listed Chelsey Flower here.

Boomington, out of the winning Pulpit mare Cabales, is a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Run Away and stakes-placed Si Si Tequila. Bred by Eaton & Thorne, Boomington was a $260,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Fancy Lights has made a trio of starts in state-bred sprints, graduating last out with a prominent 1 1/2-length score traveling six furlongs here on October 5.

Bred by Franklin Ave. Equine, Michael DiDonato and Charles Esau, the Galilean grey was an $80,000 acquisition at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale. Fancy Lights is out of the winning The Factor mare Dawn Lightning, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Anarchist and multiple stakes-winner Won Happy Mama.

West Point Thoroughbreds, James Politano and LVD Racing’s She’s Country romped to a six-length debut win in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred route on August 13 at Saratoga as the mutuel favorite. She tried open company last out in the 1 1/16-mile Selima on September 27 at Laurel Park, landing a 6 1/4-length fourth to the victorious Ultimate Love, who exited that effort to run fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock, She’s Country was purchased for $80,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She is out of the Malibu Moon mare Lunar Affair, while her stakes-placed second dam, Magical Affair, is a half-sister to stakes-placed Mystic.

A promising field includes maiden winners Neshika [post 2, Joel Rosario] for trainer Mike Maker, Maria Callas [post 5, Manny Franco] for trainer Chad Brown, and Considerate City [post 3, Dylan Davis, blinkers ON] for conditioner James Ferraro.

The Key Cents is slated as Race 8 on Thursday’s nine-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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