Canigetaloan broke his maiden in style on Monday, rallying strongly between runners in the stretch to win the $99,388 Aspirant Stakes at Finger Lakes, becoming the first stakes winner for Darby Dan Farm’s freshman stallion Leofric.
Owned by Legion Racing, Peter Dorsman Racing, Spa City Stables, and Christopher Dunn, Canigetaloan is trained by Jeremiah Englehart and was ridden by Kendrick Carmouche. Canigetaloan rated in hand in the two-path down the backstretch. He awaited room near the quarter-pole, then switched out and was cut loose in the lane. In a thrilling finish, Canigetaloan defeated Trust Fund and Tall Paul in a gutsy performance. The bay colt, who is out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Diva’s Delight, finished second in his career debut in a maiden special weight at Saratoga Aug. 11.
Bred in New York by Shaun Bridgmohan, the colt is a half-brother to winner Avid Sucinori and hails from the family of graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Time to Explode. Canigetaloan is a graduate of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Sale where he was acquired by Legion Bloodstock for $40,000 out of the Bluewater Sales consignment.
Leofric, a Grade 1-winning son of perennial leading sire and sire of sires Candy Ride (ARG), captured the prestigious Clark H. (G1) at Churchill Downs and the Fayette S. (G2) at Keeneland in consecutive starts. He also won the West Virginia Governor’s S. (G3), and amassed earnings of $951,040 in an exceptional racing career. All told, he won eight of 14 career starts and placed in four others, including a close third-place finish in the historic Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga after leading to the final furlong.
By Candy Ride, sire of Horse of the Year and leading stallion Gun Runner, Leofric is produced from the Unbridled’s Song mare Lady Godiva, a half-sister to multiple Graded stakes winner Multiple Choice and stakes-placed multiple stakes producer Proposal. His second dam, Lady of Choice, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and Grade 1 producer Well Chosen and Grade 3 winner In Contention. Leofric was a $330,000 purchase at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
For more information on Leofric, contact Stuart Fitzgibbon at (859) 621-6763 or by email at [email protected], or visit darbydan.com.
