Win or lose, veteran trainer Henry Candy will record a milestone when he saddles Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 5, as the 4-year-old gelding will be his first-ever runner in America.
“I've never been [to America] before, other than holidays,” Candy said. “It will be a very good, exciting outing.”
The good ground-loving Limato recorded a first Group 1 win in the G1 Darley July Cup this summer, and he stretched successfully out to seven furlongs to take the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret last time Oct. 2. Now, Candy is looking forward to taking on defending winner Tepin (Bernstein), who came to their shores in June to take Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne S. Tepin suffered her first loss in more than a year when second in Keeneland's GI First Lady S. Oct. 8, but Candy said that doesn't affect his opinion of the mare.
“I would have been perfectly happy if she'd won last time. I've just been looking forward to taking her on,” he said. “I know it sounds a bit daft, because she's absolutely brilliant, but I think our horse is out of the ordinary. I'm all for the big match.”
Reflecting on his hopes for the draw, Candy said, “I don't know whether it's madness but I'd sooner be drawn a little bit wide and take it easy and slot in. If you're on the rail then you've got to have an awful lot of luck if you take back from there.”
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