Ete Indien’s powerhouse 8 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s $400,000 Fountain of Youth S. (G2) gave the 3-year-old Summer Front colt his first stakes win and set him up perfectly for the Florida Derby (G1) in four weeks time.
Ete Indien also earned 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) challenge series. With 54 points total by virtue of his second in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull S. (G3), Ete Indien is almost certainly guaranteed a spot in the May 2 Run for the Roses.
Ete Indien was in the outside post in the field of 10, but his jockey Florent Geroux gunned him out of the gate and he made the lead going into the first turn. Going along comfortably soon after, he got the half-mile in :46.72 and the six furlongs in 1:11.30, when he had a 1 1/2-length lead.
Entering the stretch, he quickly drew off from the field and came home strongly to get the 1 1/16-miles in 1:43.02, earning a very good Beyer Speed Figure of 97.
“As soon as I secured a spot, I just put the horse on cruise control and the horse was nice and easy, started flopping his head and took a nice breather,” said Geroux. “When he got into a rhythm, he just felt very good. He’s very professional. I didn’t think he had this kind of speed, (but this) gives us way more options in the future.”
In his five starts, Ete Indien is 3-1-0 and has earned $333,156 for the ownership team of Linda Shanahan, Sanford Bacon, Dream With Me Stable, Inc. and Horse France America, DP Racing and trainer Patrick Biancone.
Ete Indien was bred in Kentucky by Robert Tilyer and Eric Buckley. He is the second foal out of East India, whose dam is a half-sister to the dams of 2008 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Raven’s Pass, GISW No Matter What, and MGSW & MGISP E Dubai.
Summer Front is a top-five Second-Crop sire of 2020 with progeny earnings of $474,149. In addition to Ete Indien, he is represented by the graded stakes-placed 3-year-old colt Summer to Remember. He is also the sire of Fighting Seabee who won last year’s G3 With Anticipation S. at Saratoga before finishing runner-up in the Street Sense S. on dirt, and Speaktomeofsummer, the winner of the Chelsey Flower S. at Belmont last November for Summer Front’s own connections, Waterford Stable and Christophe Clement. Summer Front’s fee remains at $10,000 SN for the 2020 breeding season. For more information, contact Cormac Breathnach at 859-873-7270 | [email protected]
