Summer Front seeks elusive Grade 1 win in Maker’s 46 Mile
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Summer Front has crisscrossed the country in search of fame and riches, fulfilling only the latter half of that goal. His earnings surpassed the $1 million mark when he finished second last month in the Kilroe Mile, but despite repeated cracks at it, the 6-year-old horse still lacks a Grade 1 victory.
“He needs to capture that elusive Grade 1,” said Lee Vickers, who has traveled to Keeneland with Summer Front as exercise rider and assistant for trainer Christophe Clement. “He’s actually been unlucky. He should have had a couple in the bag.”
On Friday, Summer Front has a prime opportunity to crash that barrier when facing six other older horses in the Grade 1, $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile on the Keeneland turf. Victor Espinoza will be in from California to ride Summer Front when breaking from post 3.
Opponents from other top stables loom as the chief threats to Summer Front, most notably Long On Value (post 2, Joel Rosario) for Bill Mott, Za Approval (post 6, Mike Smith) for Mark Casse, and Jack Milton (post 7, Javier Castellano) for Todd Pletcher.
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The Maker’s 46, which marked the start of the season for the great Wise Dan the last two years, is carded as the ninth of 10 races. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Maker’s 46 going at 5:13. TVG has full-day on-site coverage.
The Maker’s 46 is part of a late pick four (races 7-10) offering a $200,000-guaranteed pool.
The weather forecast for Friday calls for morning rain following heavy storms Wednesday evening and more precipitation Thursday.
Maker’s 46 Mile, race 9
KEY CONTENDERS
Summer Front (Last 3 Beyers: 103-105-100)
◗ He might have moved to the lead a bit early in the March 7 Kilroe on the Big Cap undercard at Santa Anita before being run down in the final yards by Ring Weekend, so Espinoza will be tasked with carefully gauging his run. You can’t knock his steadiness, as he has been third or better in 17 of 22 career starts.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Summer Front. Trainer Christophe Clement is 26-7-7-3 with a $2.66 ROI over the past two years in turf route graded stakes in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Za Approval (Last 3 Beyers: 97-95-94)
◗ An earner of almost $1.3 million, tops in this field, this gray veteran has proven himself time and again with this brand of opposition when using a steady kick from just off the pace. Casse said it’s possible he could scratch him if too much rain falls this week and into Friday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Za Approval. Trainer Mark Casse is 39-3-5-3 with a $0.87 ROI over the past five years in turf routes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Long On Value (Last 3 Beyers: 100-86-89)
◗ Perennial overachiever tries climbing the next notch after winning three of his last four, two of those at double-digit odds. Shows five nice works since winning the Grade 3 Canadian Turf last out at Gulfstream and figures to get the right kind of inside stalking trip under Joel Rosario.
Jack Milton (Last 3 Beyers: 95-81-99)
◗ Stands to benefit substantially from his latest outing as the beaten favorite behind Long On Value in the Feb. 21 Canadian Turf. A couple of efforts when he got good last spring and summer would make him a major threat here, and clearly his connections are hoping for a return to that peak.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Jack Milton. Trainer Todd Pletcher is 50-2-2-8 with a $0.23 ROI over the past five years in Grade 1 stakes on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan