Summersimage streaks to 1st sprint win at fair
Summersimage has been signaling that he is worthy of winning his first sprint stakes, and he delivered in the $65,500 Oak Tree Sprint on Thursday at the Alameda County Fair.
Although he won the 2017 Robert Dupret Derby going 11⁄16 miles on grass at the Sonoma County Fair, Summersimage has been sprinting exclusively for the past 15 months. Thursday’s victory was his fourth in 15 starts with three seconds over that span.
“I love this horse, and he always runs well for me,” trainer Ricardo Perez said. “He does it on dirt, Tapeta, turf, anything.”
The Oak Tree Sprint was on dirt, and Summersimage was coming off a secondplace finish going 5 furlongs on grass in the Albany Stakes on June 8 at Golden Gate Fields.
“He lost his right front shoe at the quarterpole in that race and still ran a good second,” Perez said. “I thought he’d improve off of that.”
The scratches of Algenon and Pure Comedy left a field of five without a true frontrunner. So Touched by Autism, normally a laterunning sprinter who won the 2018 Oakland Stakes at GGF, sped to the early lead.
Touched by Autism maintained a 1length lead over Summersimage until the stretch, where he opened up a 2length advantage.
Summersimage, the 75 favorite, was resolute and wore down Touched by Autism to win by a halflength. None of the other three horses threatened the top two.
“Ricardo has this horse down to a T,” winning jockey Kyle Frey said. “He told me to let him break and then take a hold or else he’d go too fast. I kept him outside, and it was perfect. I just did what I was told.” Briefly: Shady Empire, who won his debut by 2½ lengths May 17 at Santa Anita, is the 31 morningline favorite for the $100,000 Everett Nevin Stakes on Saturday at the Alameda County Fair. The 5½furlong race for Californiabred 2yearolds drew a field of 10 including 72 shot Bulletproof One, who won her debut by 8 lengths May 11 at Golden Gate Fields. Bulletproof One is one of three fillies in the race. … Alcatraz Stakes winner Visitant was supposed to run in the $250,000 Iowa Derby on Friday night at Prairie Meadows but will be scratched because of illness, according to trainer John F. Martin. Visitant had been installed the 72 morningline favorite.