Dream of Summer Stakes ($100.000 Purse)
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward Foaled in CA
One Mile on the Dirt
March 27, 2016
We’ll be dreaming of summer on Sunday as the second edition of the Dream of Summer Stakes, an ungraded event for older female Californians takes place. Looking at the entries for the race will also have you dreaming of chili. Trainer Chili King Stables brings two of our five to the track for this race, and then there’s the name of one in which you would have thought passed through his barn at one time, but never did: Chili Time. The two others in this field will be looking to spoil the chili party, since after all chili and summer do not really go hand in hand. Only once has this race taken place before, and that was in 2014 when Alegria’s Exav One was far more excellent then she was average. One can only assume that this race was simply scheduled and did not fill last year. In fact, it looked like it might be in jeopardy of not filling this year as well in the days leading up to the deadline, but fortunately we have been able to get our five runners. Let’s take a look at them.
#1- Gnarly Less (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- This filly by the late Gnarly has a remarkable record of consistency, hitting the board in 10 of her eleven career starts, though I must add in a disclaimer there that most recent races have been against five horses or less. She’ll see that number again as she moves up after winning a N4L event against two others at CT in impressive fashion, three months ago. This will not be her stake debut, as she ran in a couple during 2014, and this will be the stiffest competition she has faced in a while. It’s a good spot for her, and the combination of her speed figures and this race not having a standout does have her looking as a top threat.
#2- Chili Time (Rockitpad, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Looking at the races she has been in recently would make you think she is the standout horse in this race and should win while running away with it. However, I have to wonder if she has lost a little since she ran in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint last Halloween, finishing 8th. She was great going into that race, but then sat for three months before trying a turf race that did not go well. It has now been two months since that race. If she just needed a breather, then she has had it and it’s time to roll now. Work times could hint at slowing down, but looking deep at past times show that she has never really been a consistent worker at a mile, even in her peak. Then, once you may get ready to forgive all of that, there is one more element: she is carrying six more pounds then all of her rivals here. Seems silly to penalize her six pounds because of a graded win on July 5th of last year, but those are the rules.
#3- Zevila (Chili King Stables, ridden by D Van Dyke)- After just being claimed by Chili King Stables two weeks ago in a race where she disappointed, the trainer is putting her back out there. That quick turnaround has been thinking that the trainer definitively saw why that result might have happened, and is not at all concerned about it. It was a small field here, so why not take the shot, if so. The Zeus filly was claimed for $35.000, after a solid but unspectacular career. She’s never raced at the stake level. It’s an aggressive move, but after the top two (which have already been discussed), it’s wide open for third.
#4- Not Surprised (Threshold, ridden by G L Stevens)- This four year old Vandal filly is consistent in the races she has been in, hitting the board in seven of eight career races, including five wins. However, where she has been competing certainly needs to be mentioned. While it is common to see horses at the free track early in their career before they were just starting out, Not Surprised’s last race saw her drop down from the fair level, to the free track. Two of her career wins saw her earn not even an extra credit. She gets a chance to prove herself here, and if the trainer wanted to see how she stands up against better, but not the best, this was a great race to enter her in. Third place seems up for grabs, and since she does know how to get to the front, I like her chances to come away with that.
#5- Skeleton Crafts (Chili King Stables, ridden by J Talamo)- It is certainly in the pedigree for Skeleton Crafts to make the step up that the trainer seeks here. Skeleton Key is a three time graded winner and near winner of the great Travers Stakes at SAR. Her dam, Arts An Crafts is a two time graded winner, that includes the Inside Information. Skeleton Crafts meanwhile, finally broke her maiden in her ninth career start in her last race, needing to beat just two others. Off of that, here she is. Other then some good work times that have also been there while she struggled to break her maiden, I am not seeing much here. Only once has she topped 90 in SRF figures. Third is wide open, but it doesn’t seem like she can crack the top two.
Prediction: 1-2-(3, 4, 5 in 3-way dead heat for third)
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
