Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s millionaire filly, Candied, made a powerful return to form with a decisive three-length victory in the $100,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff Stakes presented by Old Bay at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday. The four-year-old daughter of Candy Ride was making just her second start of the year and her first outside of graded-stakes company in nearly a year. She showed no signs of rust as she surged past pacesetter Dazzling Move in mid-stretch and cruised to an authoritative win in one of the featured events on Black-Eyed Susan Day.
Ridden by champion jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Candied completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50.47 over a fast main track. The race marked the 32nd edition of the Allaire du Pont, the first of six stakes, including three graded, on a 14-race card offering a total of $1.05 million in purses. The stakes-filled day was headlined by the 101st running of the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan for 3-year-old fillies.
Breaking cleanly from the gate, Dazzling Move took the early lead from her inside post and was closely tracked by Peignoir, with the pair setting honest early fractions of 23.16 and 47.73 seconds. Meanwhile, Candied settled comfortably in fifth, saving ground around the first turn under a patient ride from Ortiz. As the field moved into the far turn, Peignoir began to weaken and Ortiz guided Candied to the outside, giving her a clear path to launch her run. Despite drifting slightly in the stretch, Candied easily took command and widened her lead in the final sixteenth.
Dazzling Move stayed on well to hold second, finishing 1 ½ lengths ahead of longshot Regaled, who rallied for third at odds of 30-1. Peignoir, Lemon Muffin, and Miss Hebrides rounded out the order of finish. Sea Dancer, who became fractious at the starting gate, and Sudden Switch were scratched from the race.
Saturday’s win marked Candied’s first visit to the winner’s circle since her score in the 2024 Lady’s Secret last June. She began her 2025 campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland on April 18. A consistent performer at the highest level, Candied has competed in graded stakes in eight of her ten career starts, including a victory in the Grade 1 Alcibiades in 2023.
Todd Pletcher, earning his fifth career Allaire du Pont victory following previous wins with Pool Land (2006), Super Espresso (2011), Stopchargingmaria (2015), and Spice Is Nice (2021), praised both his filly and her rider. “It was nice to see her back in the winner’s circle. We had a beautiful trip. Saved ground around the first turn and [jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.] bided his time around the second turn, and it looked like when he got her in the clear, she finished well,” said Pletcher. “We felt like everything fit well with this race. I think everything is in play for what would be next. We will see how she bounces out of it. The Ogden Phipps (Saturday, June 8 at Saratoga) might be back a little quick, but we are not going to rule it out yet.”
Ortiz echoed the confidence. “She was running beautifully. I was able to get close to the pace without using her, without doing anything,” Ortiz said. “I just bided my time from there, and turning for home, I just got in the clear and she showed up.”
The Allaire du Pont Stakes is named in honor of the late Allaire du Pont, a legendary horsewoman and owner of the Hall of Fame gelding Kelso, who earned an unprecedented five consecutive Horse of the Year titles from 1960 to 1964. Candied’s performance in the 2025 edition lived up to that legacy, delivering a performance filled with class, patience, and finishing power on one of Maryland’s most celebrated race days.
