Candy Man Rocket

Candy Man Rocket burst on the scene with a one-length win in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 6. He rated off the early pace, then took control at the top of the stretch and drew off for the win. He went 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.30.

After being soundly defeated in both the Tampa Bay Derby and the Wood Memorial and finishing a promising second in Belmont Park’s $100,000 Gold Fever Stakes, Candy Man Rocket went on the shelf for the rest of the year. He briefly returned to the races with a win in a second-level allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 5, 2022, but that race would be his only start of the year.

Candy Man Rocket returned for his 5-year-old season and opened up his 2023 season with an allowance win at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 21. He then came back and made it two wins in a row when he was victorious back versus stakes competition in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 24 when he topped a field of seven for a two-length win.

Candy Man Rocket's winning ways continued in 2023 when he went to Belmont Park and won the Grade 3 $175,000 Runhappy Stakes on May 13. Sent off as the 2.70-1 second choice in a field of six, Candy Man Rocket pressed the pace throughout and took the lead in the stretch and extended to a 1 1/2-length win in a time of 1:09.33 for the six furlongs.

Candy Man Rocket is trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado. He was purchased for $250,000 at the OBS sale in the spring of 2020.