Ward’s filly fresh for Indian Summer

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The picture for the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint figures to clear up significantly after this weekend’s prep action, and that’s very apparent in the field for the $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland.

The race, which will award the winner an automatic berth in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, has drawn an overflow and extremely diverse field, including the well-traveled Chelsea Cloisters; two graded stakesplaced colts trying turf for the first time in Nitrous and Strike Silver; and a maiden who figures logically in All About It.

Chelsea Cloisters rolled by eight lengths in her April debut on the Keeneland dirt. As many of trainer Wesley Ward’s youngsters have done, she parlayed that impressive performance into a trip to the renowned Royal Ascot meeting in England, where she finished 11th in a field of 22 in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.

Chelsea Cloisters then traveled to France, where she was second by a length in the Group 3 Prix du Bois. In her return stateside, she was second to stablemate Stillwater Cove in the Bolton Landing Stakes sprinting on the Saratoga turf, giving way grudgingly late after leading.

Ward, who figures to have a sizeable contingent for the inaugural Juvenile Turf Sprint, also has Abaco Dream, winner of an off-the-turf maiden race, in the main body of the Indian Summer field. His maiden Jo Jo Air is on the also-eligible list.

Nitrous, trained by Steve Asmussen, and Strike Silver, trained by Mark Casse, have raced on dirt to start their careers. After an impressive maiden victory at Saratoga, Nitrous finished third in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on closing day at the New York track. Strike Silver won his debut at Churchill Downs, then was second by a neck in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes. The winners of those stakes – Mind Control and Sombeyay – were to run Saturday in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.

All About It finished second by a neck in a Saratoga turf maiden race to Fog of War, who subsequently won the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine.

KEY CONTENDERS

Chelsea Cloisters, by First Samurai Beyer: 74

◗ Comes in relatively fresh, with a six-week break after an eventful summer of traveling.

◗ Will have to use her speed from the inside post under Jose Ortiz.

Strike Silver, by Violence Beyers: 71-76

◗ This is the second crop for Violence, by the versatile sire Medaglia d’Oro. The young stallion, like his sire, already has stakes performers on all surfaces.

◗ His dam, Frank’s Hope, scored her only win on a synthetic track.

Nitrous, by Tapit Beyers: 78-76-76

◗ Leading sire Tapit has turf performers such as Grade 1 winner Tapitsfly. His dam, Speedinthruthecity, was a stakes winner on turf and graded stakes-placed on synthetic as a juvenile.

◗ His 78 Beyer when third in the Hopeful tops this field.