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The Candy Man, Brisbane racing’s new cult hero grey who wears the colours made famous by the great Gunsynd, has defied life’s odds to win his last seven races.

He extended his sequence in last Saturday’s G3 Premier’s Cup at Eagle Farm and is now set to make it eight straight in Queensland’s major staying race, the G2 Brisbane Cup.

Win lose or draw, what the Barry Baldwin-trained 5YO has already achieved is the stuff dreams are made of.

The Candy Man, a son of Casino Prince, had just one race start as a winter 2YO and was about to begin his 3YO campaign when he badly shattered his jaw in an accident that required a nine hour operation.

The Candy Man then required further operations to have a back plate removed and another to extract a tooth and while recuperating hurt his hind leg which required more surgery.

Fortunately the grey’s owners Lucky Pippos and Edgar Allen were determined to persist with his career and it says plenty for Baldwin’s training skills that The Candy Man has won seven of his nine starts since he made his comeback last November.

Baldwin, a racing veteran of some 60 years experience, recalled that The Candy Man broke his jaw the day before he was set to have his second start almost three years ago.

“This horse is truly incredible. He was on the operating table for so long that a couple of the vets suggested pulling the plug, but they decided to press on,” said the 75-year-old Baldwin.

“After the operation The Candy Man had to learn how to eat again and then he ended up having all those other issues.”

Baldwin, a former jockey, has been training since 1965 and has tasted his share of big race success including a G1 Stradbroke Handicap with La Montagna and many good wins with the likes of Baggio and Burdekin Blues.

But he has having a starter in the Melbourne Cup on his bucket list and says The Candy Man will be nominated for the Flemington classic this spring.

“Whatever the horse does from here on is a bonus - he’s become something of a cult horse here in Queensland,”Baldwin said.

“I don’t cry easy but when you’ve seen what this horse has gone through … it’s just incredible.

“It’s not about the glamour or the money. It’s about the love for the horse.”

The Candy Man gets to race in the purple and white silks of Gunsynd as his owner Lucky Pippos is a brother of George Pippos who owned 25 percent of the famous Goondiwindi Grey.

Gunsynd won 22 Group races, among them a Cox Plate, Toorak Handicap, Epsom Handicap, Doncaster Handicap and numerous wfa events and also finished third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup.

“I obviously followed Gunsynd’s career very closely,” Pippos said.

“George passed away 15 years ago and while the colours belonged to the Gunsynd syndicate, I managed to secure them and have raced a few in those silks.

“I’ve owned around 30 or so horses over the years but none have been as good as The Candy Man. He’s gone from maiden to open class in the space of one prep.”

The Candy Man became the 17th stakes winner by Casino Prince with last Saturday’s Eagle Farm win.

A full brother to Sydney stakes winner Phrases, he is from the Stravinsky mare Melody, a stakes placed half sister to the dam of G2 Wellington Cup winner Maygrove.

He was one of the first horses bred by Steve and Leonie Driver from Bundaberg in Queensland. They sold him for $40,000 through the Murrulla Stud draft at the 2015 Gold Coast Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

The Candy Man would then be re-offered unraced at the 2015 Gold Coast Horses In Training Sale where Baldwin secured him for $120,000 for Pippos and close friend Edgar Allen.

Melody, who has also produced four winners including the stakes placed Motifs (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Listed winner Phrases (Casino Prince), is a granddaughter of G3 placed Attempting (Try My Best).

Melody’s youngest progeny is a Proisir filly who was passed in at Karaka.