Summertime Oaks (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
May 30, 2021

Summertime may be right around the corner, but the Summertime Oaks comes this Sunday as a field of eight fillies, several of which ran in the KYO at the start of the month, will hit the starting gate for this Grade 2. It is the 16th time that this race that initially took place at HOL will be run, and the eighth time that it takes place here at SA. Since moving north, the race has consistently had a $200.000 purse, and we’ll see that again here. Last year’s race saw Antiquated Story get the win for Nakamura Stables, winning in a field of six. She has not won a stake since then, and just a couple weeks ago was her most recent win since taking the Summertime Oaks. Here is a look at the field for this year’s race!

#1- Hot Summer (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- Seems to be a natural choice to appear on the winnerboard here, but she has more than her name going for her. Hot Summer was excellent in several prep races for the KYO, and also ran second in the BC Juvenile Fillies. This made her the favorite for the KYO, but she would only disappoint pretty much everyone. She ran 12th, starting at the back and staying there. She won’t have to start from post #11 here, so she can begin making amends for that now.

#2- Dord (Axeman, ridden by U Rispoli)- Back in late March, Dord beat her three rivals to win the SUN Oaks in what has been her top result of her career thus far. This is a horse that was once claimed by Axeman for $14.000 in September before she ever started running long. As good as the SUN Oaks was, she was dropped into an optional claimer a month later, and was third of four. That could be a bit concerning against better opposition here.

#3- Amuzing Code Party (Night Rider Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Still an unproven commodity, managing one win in her five career starts, that victory coming in a maiden claimer here at the start of March. Off of that, she was elevated into the $75.000 CA Oaks, and finished second of four in that. This will be a good race to see where she truly stands in this division.

#4- Sheza Hacker (Spankys Barn, ridden by J J Hernandez)- Next to the Code Party, we got ourselves a hacker. This Growl filly has passed through a few barns already in her career, and was picked up by Spankys Barn in private sales for $50.000 in mid-April, following a two month layoff. Made her debut for her new trainer in the $75.000 Angels Flight right here, and picked up the win in that one. Now, she will try to move up a little more against some good company, but she’s earned the shot.

#5- Creepy Crawlies (Mb Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- In a similar situation to Hot Summer in that she is looking to atone for a poor performance in the KYO. She was not one of the favorites in the race, but was another who started at the back, and never did anything for the race. At the end of the day, she was 10th. Prior to that, she had two strong starts at OP, highlighted by winning the Grade 3 Honeybee, so she should be poised for a better effort here.

#6- Intolerable (Mb Stables, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- Not everyone who was in the KYO four weeks ago performed in an intolerable manner, as this filly was able to run third in the race. It was the latest in a string of results that has seen her run her best after being moved off of the turf, and to the dirt. Was third in the Alexandra Stakes at FG, then second in a tight photo at the GP Oaks in late March. In eleven starts, she has never failed to hit the board, and that trend should continue here.

#7- Ginger Lee (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T J Pereira)- So far, so good for this filly as she makes her fifth career start. Ginger Lee has been able to win three of four races thus far, with a win in the CA Oaks at GG last month being her biggest of them. She ran in one KYO prep, and did it well, placing second in the Bourbonette Oaks at TP, but that was not enough to get her into the big race. Now, she will have a chance to get Nakamura his second consecutive win in the race, and she should be every bit as good as those who ran in the KYO can be.

#8- Tall and Fast (Arindel, ridden by J Pyfer)- She’s won half the battle thus far, as she is the tallest horse in the race, but proving she can be the fastest will require more work. Was another one of those fillies who ran in the KYO and finished in the double digits, but she was not faster than anyone in that race. She’s even had a race since, and was third of four two weeks ago in the Allaire Distaff Stakes. This will be her fourth start since April 5th.

Prediction: 6-7-1-5

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES