Despite
the irony that the What A Summer Stakes is presented in the dead of
winter, eight fillies and mares will meet the starter in Saturday’s
$125,000 feature at Laurel Park.
The
six-furlong What A Summer is headed by Bold Affair (6-5), a Howard
Wolfendale trainee who won five stakes in 2012 (Conniver, Primonetta,
Skipat, Maryland Million Distaff and Geisha) but ended the year with a
disappointing third place finish as odds-on favorite in the one-mile
Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes on Dec. 22. Abel Castellano will be back
aboard the daughter of Two Punch.
“I
am happy with the outside draw. She just doesn’t seem to do her best
running when bottled up inside,” said Wolfendale. “This race is coming
back a little quicker than I would like. I would have rather trained her
right up to the Barbara Fritchie (G2 sprint on Feb. 16) but this looks
like a good spot and she is shortening up. She is so big, with a nice
long stride and does things so easily.”
Ollie
Figgins has worked Dance to Bristol (3-1) at Bowie and Laurel since her
last start, a runner-up finish in an allowance at Charles Town. The
Speightstown filly has never been worse than second in five races at
Laurel, including a victory in the Marshua Stakes last February. Joshua
Navarro is her rider.
Made
to Love Her (5-1) started last year in California and finished the year
in Maryland with a third place effort in the Willa On The Move Stakes.
Now trained by Charles Simon at Penn National, the Stevie Wonderboy
filly won the Moccasin Stakes at Hollywood Park in November. Josean
Ramirez has the mount.
Rudy
Rodriguez sent Enchante (6-1) from New York to Pimlico Race Course in
April for the Primonetta Stakes and earned a minor share behind Bold
Affair. The daughter of Bluegrass Cat will have Horacio Karamanos in the
saddle.
Parvenu
(12-1) has won back-to-back races but has failed to hit the board in
three career stakes starts. John Servis trains the Rockport Harbor mare.
Jeremy Rose has the riding assignment.
Defy
Gravity (15-1) was winless in twelve tries last year but did win the
Smart Halo Stakes here as a 2-year-old in 2011. No rider is named on the
Lori Testerman trainee.
West
Virginia bred Silver Heart (20-1) won four races for Gary Capuano in
2012 including a stakes at Charles Town and finished second in the
Maryland Million Distaff, 13-1/4 lengths behind Bold Affair. Julian
Pimentel picks up the mount on the eight-year-old Lion Hearted mare.
Island
Bound (20-1) won the Winning Colors (G3) at Churchill Downs in June but
finished fifth in the Willa On The Move Stakes in her first start for
trainer Katy Voss. The Speightstown offspring will be ridden by Oliver
Castillo.