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| Sumita Pawar |
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Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds has become particularly knowledgeable about the highs and lows of life within the racing industry, as it often magnifies these experiences. This has been evident in the events of the past few weeks.
From Tragedy to Triumph: Yo Yo Candy's Inspiring Win
After the heartbreaking loss of several yearlings in a tragic trailer accident last month, Adrian Gonzalez and his family experienced a complete shift in emotions as they celebrated Yo Yo Candy's triumphant victory in the Sanford Stakes (Gr.3) at Saratoga Race Course while gathered around their television in their California living room on July 15.
"We were very, very thrilled to have a horse we bred running at a venue like Saratoga. It just was really a special moment. We were watching it on the couch, my wife and I, and the kids were screaming," Gonzalez said. "We're a pretty small operation, the whole family comes out to the barn at night when the mares foal so everyone has nicknames for the babies.
"It's really cool to see something that we bred and raised that performs like that and especially at such long odds. It was like, 'Oh shoot this is embarrassing if this horse runs terrible.' God, he just tried so hard and battled. What a beautiful performance that was. We're on cloud nine having something like that happen for us."
Adrian Gonzalez experienced a complete shift in emotions as Yo Yo Candy, a 2YO California-bred son of Danzing Candy, triumphantly won the Sanford Stakes (Gr.3) at Saratoga Race Course. This victory came after a tragic accident that claimed the lives of several yearlings, which were some of the best horses in Checkmate Thoroughbreds' 2022 crop.
"It's something about the racing game. Unless you've lived it, there's just a different meaning to it,"
Gonzalez said. "You don't take for granted the highs because they're few and far between and the lows are so crushing. … After that happened, we still have a full farm of horses, we still need to get the job done on all the others.
"We just felt defeated. It's hard to work so hard, going out to the barn every morning already starting off the yearling sales season at such a loss. We're grinding through it and then to have something like this happen, it picked us up big time. It just reassures us that we can raise a good horse."