Summer Assault cuts back to sprint in search of spot to run
With options limited, Michele Boyce went ahead and entered Summer Assault in a five-furlong turf allowance for Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs.
“There’s a mile race in the [condition] book next week that would probably suit him better,” Boyce said by phone from the Oldsmar, Fla., track, “but I was afraid it might not go. So I didn’t want to take a chance on missing this, with nowhere else to run.”
Summer Assault, with Angel Suarez to ride, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the eighth and last Wednesday race. The $20,000 first-level race drew a field of 10 3-year-olds.
Summer Assault has raced twice around two turns since rallying to win his Jan. 10 career debut at five furlongs. His most recent effort was very encouraging, as he finished third behind the late-flying Doc Boy in the Columbia Stakes on the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby undercard.
“We got beat by a nice horse that day, no question,” Boyce said. “But we think our horse has a lot of talent, too, and we hope he keeps showing it. Sprinting isn’t necessarily his game, but you’re pretty much between a rock and a hard place with the way things are.”
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In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Tampa has conducted racing since March 18 without spectators and with essential participants subjected to stringent health restrictions.
An earlier $20,000 allowance (race 5) also is carded for Wednesday, when first post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern. There is a carryover of $13,835 in the pick six, a 20-cent jackpot wager that spans races 3-8. The single-winner jackpot was emptied last Friday for $119,227.
The Oldsmar forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 87. All even-numbered races will be run on what figures to be firm turf, with all odd-numbered races going on a fast main track.
Boyce, a trainer since 1995, is eager to return to her main base at Arlington Park but has little choice but to stay put at Tampa until restrictions are eased.
“We’re all hoping Arlington opens the first part of June,” she said. No official announcement has been made on when the suburban Chicago track might open its 2020 meet.
The main part of the 2019-20 Tampa meet is scheduled to end May 3, but track management has informed trainers they can remain at least through May 31.
“They’ve been very gracious in accommodating us,” Boyce said.
The Tampa handle once again should be considerably higher Wednesday than under normal circumstances, given it will be one of just three American tracks to host racing, along with Fonner Park and Will Rogers Downs.
Lady’s Island in a jog
Lady’s Island ran her career mark to 15 for 29 with an absurdly easy two-length victory under Samy Camacho in an $18,700 allowance sprint Sunday at Tampa. The 6-year-old Florida-bred mare returned $2.40 as a heavy favorite when out to “pretty much maintain her fitness” with more lucrative races unavailable, said Rich Averill, who owns her in partnership with Matties Racing.