You could go to a new record (Allow Additions must be set to Yes)

DoCmd.OpenForm "candidates", acNormal, , "driverid=" & DriverID
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "Candidates", acNewRec

I appreciate you Kevin.  but that broke it.  what I really need is the record selection to be cancelled as if I escaped out of the field
I want to keep the yellow highight but lose the black select

How about this?

Forms!Candidates.ActiveControl.SelStart = 0

That didn't change the behavior.

I have exorcized the demons!
I just happened to run across Richard''s video on selecting a specific record in a subform from the parent form.  

I want to have the conditional formatting do it's thing to highlight the record and not select it..  so here's what I did

Ner the subform so the screen doesn't move when I double click the record I place a transparent (not hidden) field.

Then on the double click event... here we go.

Private Sub Name_DblClick(Cancel As Integer)
On Error GoTo myerr
selall

DoCmd.OpenForm "candidates", acNormal, , "driverid=" & DriverID

DoCmd.GoToControl "candidates"
DoCmd.GoToControl "aplace2land"

myerr: Resume Next
End Sub

Very interesting.  Possibly a stupid question, but what is "selall" ?

Why do you have TWO DoCmd.GoToControl commands?

selall is a typo and was later removed

the form i'm on is a subform.  the second is a transparent field that will capture the selection out of the subform.  I also added an after update script to set aplace2land as "" or null

OK. That's one reason why some sort of identifying naming convention is helpful.

For example:
    - FormNameF
    - FormNameSubF
    - btnButtonName
    - txtTextboxName
    - lblLabelName

I also feel that proper capitalisation is as important.

good advice..I just had no discipline when i made it