Dearest, Three Rules defend local honor

While the home team came up empty in the three main events on Saturday’s Summit of Speed program, several locally based horses turned in notable performances during the afternoon, including the once-beaten 3-year-old filly Dearest and the undefeated 2-year-old Three Rules.

Dearest earned a trip to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 6 with a 1 1/2-length victory over Smartly Agree in the seven-furlong Azalea. The win was the fourth in five career starts for Dearest, a daughter of Midshipman whose only setback was a third-place finish behind two of the leading members of the 3-year-old filly division, Cathryn Sophia and Lewis Bay, in the one-mile Davona Dale here last winter. Dearest earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for winning the Azalea under jockey Emisael Jaramillo, matching the career high she posted in winning a seven-furlong allowance race in her 2016 debut.

“The jockey lost the whip at the beginning of the race, and she still won easily and in good time,” trainer Gilberto Zerpa said through an interpreter. “I think she’s best at six to seven furlongs.”

Zerpa said Dearest will run in the Test and that the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint will be the major goal for her during the second half of the season.

Sent off at 6-5, Three Rules overcame traffic entering the stretch before drawing away to a five-length triumph in the five-furlong Birdonthewire. A Florida-bred son of Gone Astray, Three Rules had won his only previous start in similarly impressive fashion over a sloppy track here last month.

“He’s the real deal,” said Jose Pinchin, who trains the homebred Three Rules for Shade Tree Thoroughbreds. “We knew from the beginning he was going to be a good one. I wasn’t surprised how easily he won. The only thing I was surprised at was the price. I thought he’d be 3-5 in this race.”

Pinchin also said he wasn’t concerned when Three Rules had to steady briefly before slipping through a narrow opening inside the tiring pacesetter, Francesco Appeal, at the top of the stretch.

“I wasn’t worried at that point, and he got a little education out of it, so it worked out fine,” said Pinchin. “I’m not sure what kind of distance limits he might have. He’s a big, strong colt who should go at least up to a mile.”

Pinchin said he and the horse’s owners will resist the temptation of sending Three Rules up north this summer, preferring to stay home for the Florida Sire Series, which begins here in August.

“Why do that when we can run for the easy money – make that easier money – here this summer?” said Pinchin.

Pink Poppy was another extremely impressive winner on the Summit of Speed card. An Arindel Farm homebred, Pink Poppy got loose on the lead and cruised to a three-length decision over the odds-on Susie Bee in the 1 1/16-mile Spook Express, earning a 103 Beyer. That number exceeded her previous high of 94, posted on a couple of occasions in 2015.

All three graded stakes winners here Saturday also either equaled or established career Beyer bests. Delta Bluesman earned a 103 for his easy win in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint, Spelling Again received a 97 for capturing the Grade 2 Princess Rooney, and Rated R Superstar improved his career best by 10 points, posting a 97 for winning the Grade 3 Carry Back.

The Smile Sprint and Princess Rooney were Win and You’re In races for the Breeders’ Cup.

◗ The 13-race Summit of Speed card, which included nine stakes, was a booming success from a business standpoint, according to figures from Gulfstream. The overall handle of $9.7 million was up 18 percent from last year and more than double the total handle in 2013, the last time the event was held at Calder Race Course. The Summit originated at Calder in 2000.