Speedsters Fly to Florida for Summit
July 5th, 2007The imposing contingent of sprint stakes stars from major racing centers coast-to-coast expected for the $2 million Summit of Speed program at Calder Race Course Saturday has swelled to more than 30. Three different charter flights are due in Wednesday and Thursday, originating in Los Angeles, Dallas and New York.
The first to arrive was Harry Aleo’s four-year-old gelding Smokey Stover via a FedEx cargo flight originating from San Francisco last weekend where the Florida-bred son of Put It Back is based at Golden Gate Fields with trainer Greg Gilchrist, who brought the ill-fated Eclipse champion Lost in the Fog to Calder for the Summit the last two summers.
Smokey Stover is among the marquee names for the event as he clashes with Tea Party Stable’s four-year-old gelding Fabulous Strike in the $500,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (G2). Both bring four-race win streaks into their first meeting. ‘Smokey’s four victories came in stakes at Santa Anita, Golden Gate and Bay Meadows while Fabulous Strike just missed the track record for six furlongs at Churchill Downs last out winning the Aristides Breeders’ Cup (G3).
A full load of 18 runners were on the first flight Wednesday with several boarding a Tex Sutton charter first at Ontario Airport near Santa Anita and picking up the rest in Louisville before arriving into Opa Locka Airport, less than a half-hour van ride to the Calder stable gate.
Among the California invaders are five fillies and mares to contest the $500,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (G1): IEAH Stable and Sanford Robbins’ Shaggy Mane, Marsha Naify’s Selvatica, Bantry Farms, Martin Racing and trainer Paula Capestro’s River’s Prayer, L-Bo Racing and partners’ Nossa Cancao and Empire Stable and partners’ Maryfield.
The flight stopped in Louisville, Kentucky around noon to pick up six other horses based at Churchill Downs, a shipment that includes Gary Logsdon, Donnie Kelly and trainer Jamie Sanders’ three-year-old Teuflesberg, the probable favorite for the $300,000 Carry Back Stakes (G2).
The same Tex Sutton charter plane will go to New York for a Thursday morning flight due to leave the Farmington Airport on Long Island at approximately 10:30 a.m. with seven horses based in the northeast, including Fabulous Strike, who will be on a van early that morning from trainer Todd Beattie’s headquarters at Penn National and Juddmonte Farm’s five-year-old mare Indian Flare.
Indian Flare is a homebred daughter of Cherokee Run trained by Bobby Frankel who won the Vagrancy Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park on June 17. Also on the Thursday flight with Indian Flare will be two of her east coast-based rivals in the Princess Rooney: Circle C Group Stables’ G City Gal, trained by Todd Pletcher, and Puglisi Stable and trainer Steve Klesaris’ Miraculous Miss.
A third flight will originate Thursday morning out of the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport with six horses based at Louisiana Downs and Lone Star Park booked on a FedEx cargo charter due into Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in the afternoon.
Dede McGehee’s 3-year-old homebred filly Atlanta Highway, one of the choices in the $300,000 Azalea Breeders’ Cup (G3), is due on that flight. The daughter of Chief Seattle has won all three of her starts this year at Fair Grounds and Lone Star Park for trainer Andrew Leggio, Jr., who brought the outstanding filly Happy Ticket to the Summit to finish second in the 2005 Princess Rooney.
