Fair Grounds Winter 2005
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Summerly Wins the
Fair Grounds Oaks Summerly, ridden for the first time by Jerry Bailey, won the $300,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, in a convicing 4 3/4 length win. The Steve Assmussen trainee faced a field of 5 other fillies, including graded stakes winner Runway Model, and a previous foe, Enduring Will. Summerly completed the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1:43.79, in a frontrunning victory. Carlea, the 2nd longest shot in the race at 28-1, finished a good 2nd, half a length before 2nd choice Runway Model. Soul Search, at 29-1, finished 4th, Eyes on Eddy and Enduring Will completed the order of finish. Summerly paid $3.00 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Carlea paid $7.60 to place and $2.10 to show. Runway Model paid $2.10 to show. The exacta paid $35.20. |
Summerly's race record now stands at 5: 3-0-1 and it was her 2nd stakes win over all; last out she won the Silverbulletday Stakes (Gr.111) by 3 1/4 lengths. Plans for this chestnut daughter of Summer Squall's next start are not yet known, but plans are for Bailey to keep the mount on her. The race was worth $180,000 to the winner, boosting her earnings to $341,035. Summerly is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC.
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Storm Surge Faces
Eight in Louisiana Derby Dallas Stewart has won the Louisiana Derby before, and this year he brings multiple stakes winner Storm Surge, a fast three-year-old son of Storm Cat who needs to run well in this race to be considered a legitimate Kentucky Derby candidate. The colt won the Lone Star Park Juvenile as a two-year-old and then won two stakes races at the Fair Grounds before finishing third to Scipion, his chief rival in Saturday's race, in the Risen Star Stakes. Scipion, who ran an impressive race while winning the Risen Star with a dramatic last to first victory, will find it difficult to repeat. Whirlaway Stakes winner Sort It Out is making his first start for Bob Baffert, who won this race last year with Wimbledon. Kansas City Boy scratched out of the Fountain of Youth last weekend to run here, and the highly touted High Limit makes his three-year-old debut here. Also on the Fair Grounds card is the Fair Ground Oaks, which will showcase a Summerly v. Runway Model showdown, and the New Orleans Handicap, which includes such stars as Limehouse, Badge of Silver, and Second of June. |
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Limit Wins Gate to Wire In only his third career start, the Maria's Mon
colt High Limit stunned in a gate to wire performance in Saturday's
Louisiana Derby (G2), never once being headed. |
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Scipion Takes the
Risen Star Trainer Patrick Biancone showed a lot of confidence when he flew three-year-old Scipion, a highly touted runner in 2004, to Louisiana for the Risen Star Stakes. He could have stayed home at Santa Anita to run against four other horses in the San Vicente instead. Scipion lived up to his confidence, dropping far back in the early stages of the 1 1/16 mile race, then came on wide to blow past the field for the win. Jockey Gary Stevens was aboard for the victory. |
Scipion's final time was slow, but his performance was what was impressive. Real Dandy also ran on to be second, a neck in front of Storm Surge. Favored Harlington was sixth.
Scipion is a half brother to 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vindication.
| Also on the Fair Grounds card was the Mineshaft Handicap, which went to the up-and-coming Nick Zito trainee Wanderin Boy. The four-year-old son of Seeking the Gold paid $12.40 to defeat such horses as Pollard's Vision (who finished second), Alumni Hall, and Colonial Colony by 1 3/4 lengths. In the Silverbulletday Stakes, the very talented Summerly won, defeating Eyes on Eddy and The Beter Man Can by 3 1/4. The daughter of Summer Squall is trained by Steve Asmussen. |
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Storm Surge Hangs
On The beautifully-bred Storm Surge won his third stakes race in Saturday's Lecomte Stakes (gr. III), a prep for the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds. The Overbrook Farm homebred had to sit through an inquiry into the stretch run, where there was some bumping between the winner and third place finished Kansas City Boy. Smooth Bid finished second, a neck behind Storm Surge. It was Storm Surge's fifth win in eight starts. The son of Storm Cat was ridden by Robby Albarado and is trained by Dallas Stewart, who has another exciting three-year-old prospect in Crimson Stag. Storm Surge's dam, the Mr. Prospector mare Especially, is the dam of Boston Common, a multiple graded stakes winner. She does not have a two-year-old, but is the dam of a yearling full brother to Storm Surge. |
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Storm Surge Primed
To Win Overbrook Farm's homebred three-year-old colt Storm Surge is the favorite in the Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. The son of Storm Cat who is trained by Dallas Stewart will take on five other challengers, attempt to win at two turns, and try to take his place amongst the elite Thoroughbreds headed to the Louisiana Derby in March. Storm Surge won two stakes races late in 2004, one on the Breeders' Cup undercard in October and one at the Fair Grounds in December (pictured). Storm Surge is out of the Mr. Prospector mare Especially.
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