Pepper Crown, Summer Hit get rematch in All American

Trainer Alex Paszkeicz had higher expectations than most people going into last month’s Grade 3 San Francisco Mile with Pepper Crown, who was making his stakes debut. But after rallying gamely in the lane to score a $94.20 upset, Pepper Crown “will have many people eyeballing us” in Monday’s Grade 3, $100,000 All American, according to Paszkeicz.

Whatever thought was directed toward Paszkeicz before the San Francisco Mile probably revolved around his losing Pepnic for a $62,500 claiming price while winning a San Francisco Mile prep race.

After that race, Paszkeicz said he was happy that it was the 5-year-old Pepnic and not the 4-year-old Pepper Crown who had been claimed. Pepper Crown now has five wins, two seconds, and two thirds in 10 career starts.

Paszkeicz’s expectations for Monday’s one-mile race on Tapeta are the same as he had for the San Francisco Mile, a one-mile turf race contested over a yielding course. While a graded stakes victory might inspire more confidence in trainers and bettors, Paszkeicz joked, “I haven’t told [Pepper Crown]” that he’s a graded stakes winner.

Jockey Abel Cedillo gets the mount again after a sensational ride that resulted in a three-quarter-length victory in the San Francisco Mile, in which he cut inside the pacesetting Summer Hit after clearing the temporary rail on the turf course.

“He gave me a fabulous ride,” Paszkeicz said.

Pepper Crown got a great trip in the San Francisco in part because no one paid much attention to the longest shot on the board. Paszkeicz knows it will be different this time.

“When you win, you get a target on your back,” he said. “Everybody will be watching. These horses are tough. It’s just a matter of how the race sets up. Hopefully, everything will work out, and we’ll get a good race where everybody gets his best shot.”

Summer Hit returns to defend his crown in the race, which was cut back to a mile from 1 1/16 miles last year. The speedster drew the outside post in a field of seven and is hard to ignore even though the Tapeta synthetic main track is less kind to speed than is turf. Summer Hit has six wins and a second-place finish in seven starts on Golden Gate’s Tapeta.

China Prince, who has three straight wins here going back to a maiden score in 2012; the reinvigorated Hudson Landing; You Know I Know, third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic and Grade 2 Fayette last year; Longview Drive; and Minister Vivendi round out the field.