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Bridezilla
2025 Candy Ride (ARG) × Reluctant Bride, Chestnut Filly. Foaled February 23, 2025.
Purchased privately for $150,000 at the 2026 Keeneland September Sale (Hip 384) after an RNA at $170,000.
Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent. Her dam, the winning Speightstown mare Reluctant Bride, has produced stakes performer Shotgun Wedding; second dam Sassy Image won the Grade 1 Humana Distaff and earned over $800,000. A rangy, classic-looking filly — and a stablemate in name to Big Brown's Runaway Bride.
- Sire Candy Ride (ARG)
- Dam Reluctant Bride
- Color & Sex Chestnut Filly
- Trainer TBD
- Partnership Icon Racing: Sierra Leone
- Sale Catalog View Catalog Page →
Hip 384 · Keeneland September
How we bought Bridezilla.
We liked this filly early in the sale, but we did not expect to be able to buy her at a price that worked for us. She went through the ring and failed to meet her reserve. When she RNA'd at $170,000, it created a second opportunity, and we were able to put the deal together privately for $150,000.
Her dam is Reluctant Bride, which immediately connected her to Runaway Bride in the Big Brown barn and gave the team an obvious nickname. With help from our contacts at The Jockey Club, Bridezilla ultimately became her registered name.
The story is a useful example of why we stay engaged after the hammer falls. The ring is not always the end of the transaction. Sometimes the best opportunity appears after everyone else has moved on to the next hip.
The Dam Side
Reluctant Bride is a winning Speightstown mare, and she has already produced Shotgun Wedding, a multiple winner and stakes performer. The second dam is the important part of the page: Sassy Image won the Grade I Humana Distaff, two additional graded stakes and more than $800,000.
That makes this a close-up family with both speed and proven top-level dirt class. Candy Ride over Speightstown also gives the filly a pedigree with plenty of speed on both sides while leaving room for the versatility Candy Ride so often contributes.
The Physical
She is a rangier, more classic-looking filly than a bulky one. The photograph shows a long neck, good length through the body and a substantial hip. Her shoulder has slope and her frame gives the impression that she should continue to strengthen with training.
She is not the most heavily muscled horse in the group, which is not a criticism. The appeal is her balance and length. She looks more like a filly who can grow into her frame than one who was prepared to look finished on sale day.
At $150,000, the value case is easy to understand. The immediate family contains a Grade I winner in Sassy Image, the dam has already produced a stakes horse, and the filly herself has enough frame and balance to make the pedigree feel relevant rather than merely decorative.
Physical comments are based on the sale photograph and are observations, not a substitute for live inspection or veterinary review.
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