Canigetaloan broke his maiden in style Sept. 25 when he won the Aspirant Stakes at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack and became the first black-type stakes winner for Darby Dan Farm’s freshman stallion Leofric .
Owned by Legion Racing, Peter Dorsman Racing, Spa City Stables, and Christopher Dunn, Canigetaloan came into the Aspirant off a second in a six-furlong maiden special weight Aug. 11 at Saratoga Race Course with trainer Jeremiah Englehart. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche took a ground-saving trip along the rail at Finger Lakes with the bay colt and near the quarter pole swung outside of frontrunner Antonio of Venice and chased him down. Outside of Canigetaloan, Trust Fund and Tall Paul commenced their own furious rallies but fell two heads short at the wire to finish second and third, respectively.
Shaun Bridgmohan bred Canigetaloan in New York out of the Tiz Wonderful winner Diva’s Delight, who is a half sister to grade 3 winner Diva Express (Afleet Express). Diva’s Delight has produced two other runners including winner Avid Sucinori (Ironicus ), who has earned $100,578. The immediate family also has produced Sorority Stakes winner A Little Gem and grade 2 winner Time to Explode.
Diva’s Delight has a yearling full sister to Canigetaloan and produced a colt by Unified this year. The mare was sold during the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale for $6,500 by Hunter Valley Farm to KSA Farm in Saudi Arabia.
Legion Bloodstock bought Canigetaloan at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York Bred Yearlings Sale for $40,000 out of Bluewater Sales’ consignment. In two starts, the colt has career earnings of $77,233.
A son of perennially prominent sire Candy Ride , Leofric captured the prestigious Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs and the Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in consecutive starts in 2018. He also won that year’s West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3) and was a close third in the historic Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga after leading to the final furlong. Leofric retired with an 8-1-3 record from 14 starts and earnings of $951,040.
Leofric is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Lady Godiva, a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner and grade 1-placed 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.
With Canigetaloan’s win, Leofric becomes the 10th North American freshman sire to be represented by a stakes winner. Leofric stands at Darby Dan for $7,500.
