A Derby Win by Chocolate Candy Would be Sweet for Jenny Craig

Chocolate Candy Schooling for the Santa Anita Derby.

Chocolate Candy represents the fourth Kentucky Derby entrant for California thoroughbred owner Jenny Craig. But this year's Derby will be bittersweet for Jenny, win or lose. She will be there for the first time without her husband, Sid, who died in July. And she will be hoping to fulfill the dream they shared for many years.

Sid and Jenny Craig, founders of the weight loss company named for her, shared a passion for Thoroughbred racing and a dream of winning the Kentucky Derby. Jenny even presented Sid with a Derby-ready colt for his 60th birthday in 1992. A $2.5 million purchase, Dr Devious finished 7th in that year's Run for the Roses. Dr Devious went one better, however, going on to win the original derby -- the Epsom Derby in England.

Chocolate Candy was bred by Sid and Jenny Craig and is a son of their 2003 Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride, whose progeny are already making a splash. In addition to Chocolate Candy, he is the sire of stakes winners Capt. Candyman Can and Evita Argentina.

Chocolate Candy, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, drew post position #11 and was assigned official morning line odds of 20-1.

Victorina in Friday's Paseana Handicap at Santa Anita

Trainer Greg Gilchrist runs the hard-hitting Victorina, a Northern California-based mare who has been off the board only three times in 23 starts while posting a 12-6-2 record, in today's $70,000 Paseana Handicap. Owned by the estate of Harry Aleo, the 5-year-old Florida-bred will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano.

The complete field for the Paseana Handicap, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Double Trouble, Garrett Gomez, 118; You Lift Me Up, Mike Smith, 117; Victorina, Rafael Bejarano, 117; Island Hop, Martin Garcia, 113; Chocolate Lava, Joel Rosario, 115, and Forest Melody, Joseph Talamo, 115.

The race is named for Paseana, an Argentine-bred mare brought to the United States by Sid and Jenny Craig, and for whom the Craigs would eventually name their Rancho Paseana in Del Mar, California. (See magazine profile on Ted Aroney and the Craigs here.)

Trained by Ron McAnally, Pasaena won 19 races from 36 starts, ten of which were Grade 1, including the Spinster Stakes, and the Santa Margarita, Apple Blossom, Milady, and Santa Maria handicaps. Her career earnings totaled more than $3 million. She earned consecutive Eclipse Awards as Champion Older Mare in 1992 and 1993.

In 2001, Paseana was inducted in the United States Racing Hall of Fame. She died in 2006 at Haras San Ignacio de Loyola in Argentina.