Mike Smith Discusses Danzing Candy

Q: What is Danzing candy like temperament wise?
A: He’s a big stud.  He’s big and good looking. In the morning he’s laid back and cool. He can get a little studdish with the ponies, but all in all he’s very laid back. In the afternoon, excluding the Santa Anita Derby, he’s very aggressive coming out of the gate. He’s very easy to turn off and he’ll adjust right away. For whatever reason he didn’t do that in the Santa Anita Derby, he took the bit and took off – maybe it was the mud. The mud is loud, when they run in it and when it hits them, it pops! It shuts them off sometimes, you know? I’m hoping that’s what it was.

Q: Last out, did you notice a difference when he was in the lead?
A: Yeah, I had to really pull on him to try and slow him down. Normally I just have to put my hands down and he’ll come back and relax. He just didn’t in the Santa Anita Derby for whatever reason. Even in the post parade he wasn’t normal. He was hot in the gate. The whole day he just wasn’t himself. He just took off and didn’t want to come back to me.

Q: What do you think about the 1 ¼ mile distance?
A: He can hold his own going a mile to a mile and a 1/16. I think he’ll get the distance but we won’t really know until we try. Going a mile and an eighth was a fiasco in the mud. If I can get him to set back and run like he normally does we will definitely be up there. It’ll just be a matter of holding everybody off.

Q: What are your concerns going into the Derby?
A: He kind of wears his heart on his sleeve. If he acts right, like he normally does, we have a good shot. When he acts up is when he doesn’t perform to his full capabilities. He has a great trainer, he’s a good horseman. I’m confident in the connections. I hope we can get the distance.

Q: What are your thoughts on the 20 hole? 
A: It shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Danzing Candy has early tactical speed. He’s quick so he’s going to do what he does regardless of position. He just has to act right.

Q: How do you think he’ll handle the crowd?
A: He should be okay, I don’t see why he wouldn’t handle it well. It didn’t bother him at Santa Anita. Sometimes the bigger the crowd the better they act because they feel like they can’t act up and get away with it.