Summer Stakes – Grade I
1 Mile Turf Stake Purse $500.000 Two-Year-Olds. At WO
Summer Stakes has been around since 2006 when Eastern Equine’s Paint The Town Red won the first edition. Paradise Stable’s second year winner, Rattle N Hum, is still kicking around the breeding shed, although he hasn’t produced a foal since 2011. Of all the winners of this race, only Royalty Stables’ The Godfather went on to win the BC Juvenile Turf. Diablo Diablo won the race in 2008 with Nightjar and is back today with High Fiveman looking for another win. TwinTowersRacing scored in 2017 with Slip Away and is here with Deep Dark with hopes of a return to the winner’s circle. And, of course, Mb Stables has won four times and has a trio here hoping to add another notch to the scoreboard. Standing in his way are a couple of sharp juveniles coming off stakes wins, Riggins Racing’s Puppet Master looking for his fourth straight win after taking The Sapling Stakes last and Spb Racing’s Wild Waters which won Soaring Free Stakes last out. Here’s the field:
Horse Owner Odds SRF
Puppet Master Riggins Racing *3-1 94
Wild Waters Spb Racing 4-1 95
Open Invitation Mb Stables 9-2 94
Bold Luka Red Fox Farms 5-1 94
Moving Up Broken Spoke Stables 5-1 90
High Fiveman Diablo Diablo 6-1 88
Hide In Plain Sight Mb Stables 6-1 87
Six One Nine Alydar Stables 8-1 90
Divide Your Fears Mb Stables 10-1 90
Embers Adrift D J C Racing Stables 15-1 92
Unruffled Charm Williams9 20-1 83
Deep Dark TwinTowersRacing 20-1 83
ae-Loyal Commanding Barcelona Farms 30-1 90
1 Open Invitation Mb Stables 94
Open Invitation is still a maiden but impressed running third in the $150.000 Soaring Free Stakes at WO in which he was installed as the favourite thanks to four straight second place finishes in tough maiden races. Now all five of his starts have been sprints, but he has a mile turf work that says no worries, so he has to be considered here in spite of his maiden status.
2 Moving Up Broken Spoke Stables 90
Moving Up is undefeated after winning his second start, a mile turf allowance at DMR in nice time. He steps up to stakes level with nice form, courageous wins and looking to prove he has the class factor.
3 Bold Luka Red Fox Farms 94
Bold Luka was a fading fifth in the $150.000 Skidmore at SAR sprinting. Since then, he has posted a nice mile turf work that indicates he should be able to stretch out to today’s distance. So, with stakes experience and strong works, I’d mark him as a threat.
4 Puppet Master Riggins Racing 94
After breaking his maiden at second asking, Puppet Master made it three straight wins by winning back-to-back stakes races, first the $75.000 Hoover Stakes at BTP, then the $100.000 Sapling Stakes at MTH at one mile on the dirt. In fact, all his races have been on the dirt, but there’s a work that says not to worry too much about that, and I’d say at this stage in juvenile development, it’s not a major factor and this looks the race winner.
5 Wild Waters Spb Racing 95
Wild Waters has won both his turf starts sprinting including the $150.000 Soaring Free Stakes at WO. He hasn’t posted any route works, so we are a bit in the dark on that count, but his six-furlong works solid enough to expect him to make the route. He looks classy, and I expect to see him in the photo.
6 Hide In Plain Sight Mb Stables 87
Hide In Plain Sight was struggling as a maiden until he stretched out to a nice long route and caught a soft field. The SRF was only 87, so that explains the six-length margin. I think he may need some seasoning before trying this level.
7 Embers Adrift D J C Racing Stables 92
D J C Racing Stables picked Embers Adrift up in the recent auction from Big Guns Stables for a fairly hefty $111.010 after noting an impressive six-furlong dirt win at SAR at second asking, so brought him here to give him a shot. I’d say that mile turf work is a bit sub-par for this event.
8 Divide Your Fears Mb Stables 90
Divide Your Fears is a maiden which held on well for second in a 1 1/16 mile SAR mile maiden race last and posted a decent mile work for this.
9 Unruffled Charm Williams9 89
Unruffled Charm won at first asking in a dirt sprint at EMD. He was purchased in the auction from Acber Farms for $7.990 and sent here with no supporting works.
10 High Fiveman Diablo Diablo 88
High Fiveman broke his maiden at DMR last out at one mile in decent time and looks like he may be a threat if he makes the step up. His works are in the range to be competitive, so a chance.
11 Six One Nine Alydar Stables 90
Six One Nine won sprinting at second asking at DMR. Now he needs to show he can stretch out and that he has the class gene. His turf mile work looks OK.
12 Deep Dark TwinTowersRacing 83
Deep Dark won at first asking at KEE and followed that with a third in the five-furlong $250.000 KY Juvenile, and the world was looking rosy. Then things went wrong. Three straight finishes up the track bring him here, although he did show some closing life in a dirt allowance at RUI last. No promise in turf works.
ae-13 Loyal Commanding Barcelona Farms 90
Loyal Commanding won at first asking at FP and finished second in a $32.000 claimer last. Only one five-furlong turf work to look at.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES