Nine years ago, a 3-year-old filly named Summer Colony
broke her maiden by 32 ¾ lengths in her seventh start, an off the turf event at
Saratoga Race Course. The Edward P. Evans homebred would go on to win nine more
races in her career, including the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Handicap at the Spa the
following year, and earn over $1.4 million.
Summer
Laugh, the third foal out of Summer Colony, needed only one start to show her
talent as she debuted a 6 ¾-length winner at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday.
Summer
Laugh joins the New York Watch series, which profiles up-and-comers that have
recently cleared the maiden ranks at Aqueduct, Belmont
Park, and Saratoga. Her page is located at: http://www.nyra.com/nywatch/summerlaugh.html
Guided by
John Velazquez – who rode Summer Colony in seven of her victories,
including the 2002 Personal Ensign – Summer Laugh pressed the pace
through a quarter of 21.83, poked her head in front midway on the far turn, and
kicked away from her seven opponents when put to a drive.
“They’re different horses, so you can’t compare them,”
said Velazquez when asked to measure up Summer Laugh against her dam. “But
Summer Laugh certainly has a lot of talent. That’s definitely one thing I
can say about her, especially with the way she did everything yesterday.”
Summer Laugh, who like her mother is a Ned Evans homebred, covered 6 ½
furlongs in 1:18.12 as the 3-5 favorite.
She is by top stallion Distorted Humor, who has sired Belmont Stakes
winner Drosselmeyer, Kentucky
Derby winner Funny
Cide, Travers winner Flower Alley, and multiple Whitney winner Commentator,
among others.
“We were pleased with the way she had been training and we were
hopeful we’d see a performance like the one we saw,” said trainer Todd
Pletcher, who also sent out sharp first-time starter Hysterical Cat on Sunday.
“She had been working in company with Maple Forest,
who won [August 5]. She’s been a very professional, straightforward filly
since day one.”