Ms Locust Point, Angel At War clash in What a Summer

The $100,000 What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday offers an intriguing matchup between the proven stakes runner Ms Locust Point and Angel At War, who is undefeated in six starts but is taking a big step up in class.

Ms Locust Point and Angel At War have good early speed, as does the Ohio shipper Seeknthegiantpearl, and the pace of the six-furlong race figures to be hot. Being drawn outside the other front-runners, Ms Locust Point has a tactical advantage.

Trainer John Servis is using the What a Summer as a stepping-stone to the Grade 2, $300,000 Barbara Fritchie for Ms Locust Point, a winner of four of her six starts. The Fritchie, a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares, will be held at Laurel on Feb. 17.

Based at Parx, Ms Locust Point is 2 for 2 at Laurel. She won the Gin Talking Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths in December 2016 and then last month took the Willa On the Move Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths. In the year between those races, she started only twice.

In her race following the Gin Talking, Ms Locust Point finished off the board for the only time in her career in the Grade 2 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park, an effort Servis attributes to a foot issue. Following an extended rest, Ms Locust Point won a November optional claimer at Parx.

Although just about all of the Mid-Atlantic tracks have missed training time recently due to winter weather, Servis is confident Ms Locust Point is ready for Saturday.

“The few days they missed at Parx, the time off actually might have been good for her,” he said. “She was going so well, we couldn’t slow her down in the morning.”

Jorge Vargas Jr., who is splitting his time between Maryland and Parx and doing well at Laurel, keeps the mount.

Angel At War has been a terrific claim for trainer Michael Gorham, who took her for $40,000 out of her second career start and has since won four races and $81,390 with her. She showed heart going through her first- and second-level allowance conditions this fall, winning by a nose and then by three-quarters of a length.

“This is definitely a tougher race for her, but she’s doing good, we’re stabled here at Laurel, and it’s a field of seven,” Gorham said. “She breezed pretty good for the race last week. She’s ready.”