Summer Front leaves no doubt in Cliff Hanger

Summer Front earned his second straight graded win in the Cliff Hanger (Aubrey Therkelsen/Equi-Photo) Waterford Stable’s Summer Front went from last to first as the even-money favorite in Sunday’s Grade 3, $101,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park. “That was really eye opening,” jockey Joe Bravo said. “I saved ground the whole way and when he saw daylight that was it. What a quick turn of foot on this horse. I’m just so impressed with him, to do that off the layoff. All I can say is ‘wow.'” The Christophe Clement pupil settled in the back of the field as last year’s winner of this race, Tune Me In, set fractions of :24 1/5, :48 3/5 and 1:12. Summer Front was still bottled up in last at the three-quarter mark before he started to move up between rivals on the far turn. The four-year-old colt had to wait for room as the field turned for home but found a seam on the outside and shot to the lead in the final yards to pass Tune Me In and prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. Tune Me In held on for second, while it was just a half-length back to third-place finisher Howe Great. Sleepless Knight, Hudson Steele and Hobo Ridge rounded out the order of finish. Fire Alarm was scratched from the race.

Summer Front covered 1 1/16 miles over the firm turf in 1:41 2/5 and paid his
supporters $4 to win.

Victorious in his first three starts, including the King Cugat at Aqueduct
and Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park in 2011, Summer Front later scored summertime
wins last term in the Hill Prince at Belmont and the Duluth at Saratoga. Summer
Front also placed last season in the Lexington at Keeneland, the Secretariat at
Arlington Park and the Jamaica Handicap at Belmont.

The bay was last seen
winning the Miami Mile Handicap back on April 20 at Calder. With Sunday’s score,
Summer Front captured his second graded stakes in a row and now has a career
mark of  13-7-1-3 and $531,140 in lifetime earnings.

Bred in Kentucky by Graceville Breeding, the son of War Front was a $475,000
Keeneland April two-year-old in training purchase. He was produced by the
unraced Rose of Summer, a daughter of El Prado, who also reared Grade 1 queen
Laragh.

Rose of Summer is herself a half-sister to Grade 1 victor Siphonic and stakes
winner Mountain Girl. Also hailing from this family is multiple Grade 2 winner
Dixie Dot Com.

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