2014 Summer Stakes G2

The 2014 Summer Stakes (G2)

Woodbine Racetrack

Date: Sept. 13, 2014         Post Time: 5:07 PM (ET)         Distance: 1-mile (All-Weather)         Purse: $200,000

For two-year-olds.

Official Contenders & Post Positions

The Maiden’s Take

The King

1)     Conquest Tsunami– Currently 4-4 and undefeated since his debut in April, Conquest Stables’ star colt has been riding a wave of success that will have him wearing a target on his back the second he breaks from the gate. Trained by six-time Sovereign Award winner Mark Casse, Tsunami will face an early challenger and will have two strong trackers with tactical speed at his heels threatening to outrun him on the stretch. Despite his troubled start three weeks ago, he re-cooperated fast enough to lead a wire to wire victory in the 7-furlong race here at Woodbine. His bloodlines feature Secretariat, Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew, and his Dam’s grand sire — Regal Classic — won the Summer Stakes in 1987 , finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, sixth in the Preakness and was victorious the second leg of Canada’s Triple Crown. A dominant front runner with combined winning margins of twenty-one lengths, this son of Stormy Atlantic is a fierce competitor who may well be on his way to winning some of the biggest stakes races in the sport. Accomplished jockey, Corey Nakatani will ride the Conquest Stables LLC owned colt for the first time.

The Nobles:

1)     Imperial Dream– Trainer Nicholas Gonzalez is looking to add his name to the list of Summer Stakes winners and he’s certainly made the right move by putting last year’s winning jockey, Eurico Rosa Da Silva, on this son of Stormy Atlantic. The 2-year-old colt will attempt to dethrone his half brother, Conquest Tsunami, but he’ll find a rival in Samuel Dechamplain, who also favors his exact stalking style. With the highest beyer in the field (83), he seems more likely to have the upper-hand during the first half of the race, but he hasn’t gone the distance on turf and it will be interesting to see how he handles pressure from a mirror-like challenger.

2)     Saratoga Dreamer– Undoubtedly one of the best horse trainers in North America, Christophe Clement brings a colt with potential to Saturday’s Stakes. The son of Elusive Quality, Saratoga Dreamer made his connections proud when he won his debut race on the turf of the very place which inspired his name: Saratoga. A mid-pack runner that kicks into high gear at the top of the stretch, this colt has run at one of the most competitive tracks in North America, has the second highest beyer (75), and will be under the guidance of Sovereign and Eclipse award winning apprentice jockey, Emma-Jayne Wilson.

The Knights:

1)     Conquest Typhoon– Conquest Stables LLC and Mark Casse seem to have unintentionally planted a “rabbit” against themselves. Yet another son of Stormy Atlantic, he is less experienced than the favorite, but showed liking as a front-runner in his start last month and if he presses to take the lead this time he could potentially derail our king. With a beyer of 72, this colt will likely rush to battle for the pace. The concern is that in the past he has fallen short at the last minute and fighting for the lead here seems likely to backfire, burning energy during the first half and coming up empty when he’ll need it most. It will be interesting to see how this game of Russian roulette pans out. Patrick Husbands weathered this storm to two second place finishes in the past and is back for another soaring ride.

2)     U S Marshall– Ian Black’s colt ran to a solid second in his debut at Woodbine last month. Being that he ran on turf and was not bothered going 7-furlongs, the additional 660 feet should not be an issue for this mid-pack goer who will take to the Summer Stakes eager to best Samuel Dechamplain, who outran him in his one and only career start. This colt has potential and if he lays down the law, he will pay generously at 20-1. David Moran readily takes the reigns.

3)     Samuel Dechamplain– Michael Doyle won a Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1984 and trained Wild Gale to third place finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes of 1993. His entry in this year’s Summer Stakes is accustomed to running on turf and won going 7-furlongs just last month. His sire, Henrythenavigator, placed second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and all his great great grand sires are notable champions. This field seems favoring for the colt’s stalking style. Likely to hang-ten behind the two Conquest front-runners, he will be perfectly positioned to pounce the instant he smells a hint of exhaustion. With odds at 12-1 , he is a nice gamble.

The Peasants:

1)     Crown Prince– The only one of the bunch to have gone 8-furlongs, this Kentucky-bred colt ran a mere two weeks ago and won by three-quarters of a length on Woodbine’s synthetic track. Other than the fact that his great grand sire, Deputy Minister, was a champion 2-year-old in the US and Canada, and was inducted into Canada’s Hall of Fame in 1988, there is really nothing special about his bloodlines. But bloodlines should be taken with a grain of salt. Crown prince likes to stalk the pace, so, if he can handle going a mile off two weeks rest, he should have a very nice trip. Hold the needle, this baby prefers to run Lasix free.

2)     Less Than Perfect– On paper, Kevin Rice’s entry  seems destined for greatness. A son of 2006 Dubai World Cup winner Pleasantly Perfect, Less Than Perfect’s bloodlines are decked with Breeders’ Cup victors and Triple Crown bids and winners, but the Florida-bred colt doesn’t do his relatives justice on the track and his running style is all over the place. He’s the only one with a grade III race under his belt, but he trailed the field in the Sanford Stakes and finished sixth of eight. Important: A major red flag is the daunting fact that Saturday’s Summer Stakes will be the two-year-old’s second start in just ONE week — call me crazy, but I just fell out of my chair over how ludicrous this is. Needless to say his use of Lasix will only shine a brighter light on the controversy that surrounds the use of the performance enhancing drug. The intentions of the colt’s connections are worrisome.

3)     Ethical Funds– Nathan Squires colt has had two career starts since August 14th and will be making his turf debut in Saturday’s race. A son of Giant Gizmo, he’s had nice works on synthetic, but he seems a bit outclassed in this field. He has no experience on turf and though he showed a little kick in the stretch during the Simcoe Stakes, unless the speed horses burn each other out, he doesn’t seem to stand a chance.  Emile Ramsammy hops back atop this 30-1 long-shot.

The Maiden’s Ten Dollar Crusade

$0.20 Trifecta for $6.00  → 3, 4 / 2, 3, 4, 6,8/ 1-4, 6, 8, 9

$2.00 Superfecta → 4 – 3 – 6 – 2

$2.00 Win Bet → #2

Follow The Maiden on Twitter --> @Claudia_WMS

Through the Eyes of the Mad Capper

The Kings:

1)     Conquest Tsunami- This son of multiple stakes winner Stormy Atlantic has been installed as the 7/5 morning line favorite. Six-time Sovereign Award winning trainer Mark Casse has guided Conquest Tsunami to four victories from four starts in 2014. His latest outing was in a seven furlong contest run over the Woodbine turf course versus allowance level competition. The works leading up to the race suggest that he will be vying for victory this Saturday with masterful turf rider Cory Nakatani in the saddle. The up-and-coming Conquest Stables has also been making a recent impact on thoroughbred racing throughout North America.

2)     Imperial Dream– Eurico Rosa Da Silva will be handed the reins on yet another of Stormy Atlantic’s offspring. Imperial Dream is trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, and although he is yet to race on the turf, his pedigree should help him transition nicely to the Woodbine green. He was hand-ridden to victory in the Vandal Stakes and his gallop out has track aficionados believing that this may be the juvenile to beat. Despite having just two career starts, Imperial Dream will be our top selection here.

The Nobles:

1)     Samuel Dechamplain- This gelded son of Henrythenavigator has but one win, and that came in a maiden special weight affair at seven furlongs on the Woodbine lawn. Trainer Michael Doyle and jockey Justin Stein will be wise to put this one on or near the lead in the Summer Stakes. Distance should not pose a problem and we will be looking for Samuel Dechamplain to outrun his odds in this Grade 2 event.

2)     Saratoga Dreamer- Christophe Clement and turf go together like milk and cookies. The two-year-old son of Elusive Quality has a pedigree that is screaming for grass and distance. He will get both in the Summer Stakes, but these factors alone were not enough to catapult him into our top tier. Emma-Jayne Wilson gets the call on the New York shipper, but the rail draw could prove to be more than a formidable foe.  

3)     US Marshal- This Badge of Silver colt out of the mare Reigning Dynasty is our price play in the Woodbine feature. U S Marshal broke from the outer post in his career debut to finish a solid second behind fellow entry Samuel Dechamplain. The extra distance in the Summer Stakes will do nothing to hinder his chances. Ian Black will saddle this lightly raced enigma and call on David Moran to do the riding.

The Knights:

1)     Conquest Typhoon- Woodbine demigod Patrick Husbands will be in the irons on the other Mark Casse trained entry. Conquest Typhoon is also a Stormy Atlantic prodigy out of an undervalued mare named Swanky Bubbles. Patrick Husbands is sure to take this colt straight to the lead in hopes that he can hang on for the one mile in its entirety. Our play is against his front-running style and the expectation will be for him to fold as they make their mad dash down the stretch.

2)     Ethical Funds- This gelding’s grand sire, Victory Gallop, was able to piece together one of the more impressive Triple Crown resumes during the 1998 season. Trained by Nathan Squires, Ethical Funds will be piloted by the crafty Woodbine veteran, Emile Ramsammey. The son of Giant Gizmo has had only two starts and will enter the gate as a maiden. In both his third and fourth place finishes, Ethical Funds ran with determination and has a chance to round out the trifecta or superfecta here.

The Peasants:

1)     Crown Prince- Crown Prince is a gelded son of Smoke Glacken. Despite breaking his maiden around two turns last out, he simply does not look as if he belongs among this group. Kelly Callaghan trains and Gerry Olguin will ride, but anything more than a back of the pack finish will be a summertime shocker in the graded stakes feature.

2)     Less Than Perfect– Less Than Perfect has made a concerted effort to live up to his name. After winning first out over the Presque Isle Tapeta, this son of Pleasantly Perfect has finished no higher than third in his last four starts. Jockey Taylor Rice ventures into the great white north and picks up the mount for her brother, Kevin.

The Mad Capper’s Ten Dollar Crusade

$0.20 Superfecta for $9.60 → 3,4/2,3,4/1,2,3,4,6,9/1,2,3,4,6,9

$0.20 Trifecta for $0.40 → 3/2,4/2,4

Follow The Mad Capper on Twitter --> @Matticapper