First-crop sire Summer Front, Airdrie’s impeccably-bred son of War Front, has been represented by several noteworthy winners on dirt and turf in November and December.
Ete Indien won for the second time in three starts last Friday, earning an 86 Beyer in his first start on dirt. He wired the field from the inside post, setting torrid fractions of 22.92, 45.55 and 1:09.97 and won by 2 1/2 lengths over the Juddmonte-owned and Chad Brown-trained odds-on favorite, Toledo, completing the mile in 1:35 flat. It was another 10 1/2 lengths back to the third placed finisher, Churn N Burn, trained by Ian Wilkes for Lothenbach Stables, an impressive Churchill maiden winner in his previous start. Ete Indien was an eyecatching winner when debuting over 5 furlongs on the turf, so there are many options for his connections to choose from going forward. He is from the immediate family of the Biancone-trained Diamond Bachelor, Raven’s Pass and others, and was bred by Rob Tillyer and Eric Buckley.
Summer To Remember, bred and sold by Brereton C. Jones/Airdrie Stud, was an equally impressive winner going 1 mile on turf for Summer Front’s original owner, Waterford Stable. Relaxing beautifully while dueling with Intentional Walk, Summer To Remember shrugged off that foe at the head of the stretch and opened up to an impressive 1 3/4 length victory for trainer Todd Pletcher. On his debut, he had run an promising second to subsequent G1 Summer S. winner, Decorated Invader, and built on that performance at Gulfstream Park.
In England, a colt named Summeronsevenhills won for the second consecutive time for trainer Richard Hughes and owners, Frank Deely and John McGarry. Bred by George E. Bates, Summeronsevenhills was pinhooked by Johnny Collins’ Brown Island Stables, and sold for 85,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-Up Sale last summer. A 6-length maiden winner at Chelmsford City in his previous start, he followed up with ready victory under top-weight of 133 lb at Wolverhampton, earning a 91 Racing Post Rating. Clearly a progessive sort, he looks ready to move up the ladder.
Cruel Summer put it all together on November 30th at the Fairgrounds, rallying from 8th to break his maiden by 1 1/2 lengths for Nine Thirty Racing and Tom Amoss. A week prior, Summer At The Spa made her debut a winning one, when flying home from ninth to win going six furlongs on the Aqueduct turf for Jimmy Toner and Mike Ryan, while early November featured the stakes win of Speaktomeofsummer, who similarly closed from ninth to win the Chelsey Flower S. by two lengths at Aqueduct for Waterford Stable and Christophe Clement. The same day that Speaktomeofsummer became Summer Front’s second Stakes winner, Summer Clothes broke her maiden in style at Gulfstream Park West for Bret Jones and Rodolphe Brisset.
With those, and plenty of other promising performers, Summer Front is primed for an exciting 2020.
