Summer Bird looks like a champ in Jockey Club Gold Cup

Summer Bird sealed his bid for an Eclipse Award with a win in the Jockey Club (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) Kalarikkal K. and Vilasini Jayaraman’s homebred SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone) on Saturday joined an illustrious group of Belmont S. (G1) and Travers S. (G1) winners to also clinch the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), and in so doing likely clinched champion three-year-old male honors with a one-length score in the $750,000 invitational over 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park. The Tim Ice-trained colt splashed home a one-length winner over the resolute Quality Road (Elusive Quality) in a time of 2:02 2/5 in the sloppy going. Summer Bird, whose racing career commenced on March 1, had a reputation earlier this year for making one big run from the back of the pack. The colt’s tactics have changed of late, with jockey Kent Desormeaux getting the strapping chestnut to rate within a few lengths of the leaders in each of his two previous starts prior to the Gold Cup. That strategy did not change on Saturday, as Summer Bird settled in fourth after a quarter-mile and steadily advanced in position over the next two calls. On the front end, Tizway (Tiznow) was pressured by an aggressive Quality Road in :24 4/5 and :49 3/5, but the front runner quickly dropped back as the two three-year-olds finally locked in battle after three-quarters in 1:13.

The pair were heads apart after a mile in 1:37 3/5, and while Quality Road
attempted to float Summer Bird wide turning for home, the classic winner always
appeared to have too much left in the tank to be denied. Gamely yielding the
lead at the furlong-marker, Quality Road hung tough as Summer Bird inched away
to the victory.

The 6-5 favorite, Summer Bird returned $4.50, $2.80 and $2.10. Quality Road,
who went off at the same 5-2 price as the race’s leading older horse Macho Again
(Macho Uno), gave back $3.80 and $3.80 after finishing 4 1/2 lengths clear of
Tizway, who gave back $6.30 at 23-1. It was 6 1/2 lengths further back to Macho
Again. The exacta was $15.20, the trifecta $95, and the 3-7-4-2 superfecta paid
$300.40. The strung-out field was completed by Dry Martini (Slew Gin Fizz),
Sette E Mezzo (Dynaformer) and Asiatic Boy (Arg) (Not for Sale).

Summer Bird became the first horse since Easy Goer, in 1989, to win the
Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup in the same season. Every other horse
to have accomplished the feat were either named champion and/or are in the Hall
of Fame. The group includes Man o’ War (1920), Twenty Grand (1931), One Count
(1952), *Gallant Man (1957), Sword Dancer (1959), Damascus (1967), Arts and
Letters (1969) and Temperence Hill (1980).

“It means a lot to win the three races in New York,” Ice said. “I think it
puts him in an elite group and he should be named (champion) three-year-old
colt.

“The goal is the (November 7) Breeders’ Cup (Classic [G1]). We’ll take a
couple of days and see how he is.”

Desormeaux said afterward that it felt to him as though Summer Bird wasn’t trying
that hard.

“Unlike the Travers, he was completely off the bridle, just cruising along,”
he said. “Once I positioned him, he was floating, completely turned off. I think
he was idling in the stretch. He’s trying to be the best horse I’ve ever ridden.
He was awesome today. He pulled up quietly like nothing had ever happened.”

Quality Road, meanwhile, is no guarantee for the Breeders’ Cup Classic after
his improved effort.

“I think he’s better on a fast track,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Summer
Bird relishes this kind of surface. We will talk with Mr. (owner Edward) Evans
(about the Breeders’ Cup). It’s run on synthetic so we have some thinking to
do.”

After running fourth in his debut at Oaklawn Park, Summer Bird came back to
win a 1 1/16-mile maiden event at the same venue and was a closing third in the
Arkansas Derby (G2) in his next outing. Only sixth, 13 lengths behind Mine That
Bird (Birdstone), in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Summer Bird avenged that loss with
a 2 3/4-length triumph in the Belmont. Second best when six lengths behind Horse
of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) in the Haskell
Invitational (G1), Summer Bird rebounded to take the Travers in the slop by a
widening 3 1/2 lengths. With this potential championship clincher in the bag,
Summer Bird has now earned $2,023,040 from a line of 8-4-1-1.

The Kentucky-bred Summer Bird is the first stakes winner out of the Summer
Squall mare Hong Kong Squall, who has also produced an unraced juvenile colt
named Indy Squall (Jump Start), a yearling colt named Summer Fun House (Johar)
and a 2009 filly by Friends Lake.

Summer Bird comes from a nice family. His second dam, Hong Kong Jade
(Alysheba), is a daughter of Ruby Slippers (Nijinsky II) and a half-sister to
1992 champion sprinter Rubiano (Fappiano) as well as stakes victress Tap Your
Heels (Unbridled). The latter mare is herself the dam of Grade 1 winner and
leading sire Tapit (Pulpit). Other daughters of Ruby Slippers have gone on to produce the
likes of stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Chitoz (Forest Wildcat); Woodlawn S.
hero Affirmatif (Unbridled’s Song); and 2004 Summer S. (Can-G2) queen Dubleo
(Southern Halo). Other notables in the family include sires Relaunch and
Glitterman.