Summertime Oaks (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 16, 2018
The starting gate will not be full for the 13th running of the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at SA. However, that should not be a problem as the four fillies that are here have the potential to give us quite a good race. Last year, the field was rather small as well, and the winner that day would be Various, for Mb Stables. She has not since won another graded stake, but has settled into a pretty decent career. Other well known past winners include Dirty Deeds in 2016, and Sinissippi Delite in 2014. Expect a pretty good race, this is not one of those four horse fields that has a clear cut favorite, or one that seems like a longshot. Any of these four can finish in any of the top four positions. Let’s meet our runners!
#1- Night School (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by T C Baze)- An impressive filly by La Sorbonne that has seen her career take off after being acquired in private sales for $75.000 back in November. Maxmillion hit on something with her, and in their first race together she made a solid jump in class, taking part in the $85.000 La Senora Stakes for NM-breds, winning the race, and topping her prior career best SRF by eight points. That was the first of a three race winning streak, but in her last race, the SA Oaks, she could not keep up with the competition late.
#2- Enoughs Enough (Mb Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- She was lightly raced heading into her KYO prep run that ended up being pretty successful. Earlier this year, she put together a three race winning streak that began with her maiden, then progressed at FG in the $150.000 Silverbulletday Stakes, and then the Grade 2 Alexandra. Things were looking up, but so far that’s been the highlight of her career. She did not fare well in the FG Oaks, a race we were prepared to throw out. However, in the KYO, she was a non-factor. Now, the lights of the KYO hunt are off, and she can settle into finding her niche within this division.
#3- Fortune Tune (Aml Racing, ridden by B Blanc)- After a few solid finishes in graded stakes, Fortune Tune finally stepped up and picked up a win in one when she won the Selene Stakes by a length over Geek At Heart at WO last month. In that race, she went right out to the lead, though given the small field in that one, it’s tough to say if that was more a product of the field then a tactical move. She has run on off tracks a lot lately, so I have a hard time getting a feel for her speed figures to predict how she may fare here. Should be a threat, but may be the horse to beat as well.
#4- Geek At Heart (Nakamura Stables, ridden by E A Roman)- This filly is just beginning to find her way against top competition. She has not always raced at the highest levels, and just as recently as early March, she was spotted winning a small FON allowance. She destroyed the field that day, and when given a chance to run against better at GG, she handled that field as well. That sent her to the Selene Stakes, where she ran second to Fortune Tune. You have to therefore, like, that every time Nakamura has asked for more out of her, she has risen to the occasion and even when she didn’t win, she was close. Speed figures might need to be a little better to get a win here, but I wouldn’t rule her out from showing that progress in this race.
Prediction: 1-3-2-4
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
