Summer Squall bid a rousing farewell to the Triple Crown series with a victory in the Preakness on Saturday.
The Kentucky Derby runner-up took the lead just past the eighth pole from Derby winner Unbridled and got to the wire in 1:53 3-5 on a fast track at Pimlico.Summer Squall's owner and trainer have said the colt will now rest until the fall and skip the June 9 Belmont Stakes, the Triple Crown finale.
Unbridled made a big move on the final turn, as he did in the Derby, and he got the lead in the upper stretch. This time, however, Summer Squall, ridden by Pat Day, would not be denied and he drew away for a clear victory over the favorite.
Mister Frisky, the beaten Derby favorite who was eighth in that race, finished third on this pleasant sunny afternoon, while longshot Music Prospector was fourth in the field of nine 3-year-olds.
Summer Squall's official winnning margin was 2 1/4 lengths. Unbridled was nine lengths ahead of Mister Frisky, whose edge over Music Prospector was a half-length.
Since Summer Squall is not going to the Belmont, Unbridled will earn a $1 million bonus for points earned in the Triple Crown series if he simply starts that race. The colt earned five points for his victory in the Derby and three for being second on Saturday, and that total cannot be overcome.
Summer Squall's time was 1-5 of a second off the stakes record set by Tank's Prospect in 1985. Gate Dancer also won in 1:53 3-5 in 1984.
Completing the order of finish were Fighting Notion, Land Rush, Kentucky Jazz, Baron de Vaux and J.R.'s Horizon.
Summer Squall had caused a stir Friday when a trickle of blood was noticed coming out of one nostril after a gallop. The horse bled during a workout in Florida this spring and has raced on the diuretic Lasix for all five of his races. He did not work under Lasix on Friday.
Before the race, Cot Campbell, president of Dogwood Stable, said, "Based on our history of the horse, it would not affect his performance Saturday." He knew what he was talking about.
Campbell and trainer Neal Howard have said that they would skip the Belmont because of Summer Squall's tough campaign - five races in 11 weeks - and because they felt this wasn't the time to try racing the colt without Lasix. New York doesn't allow horses to race on any type of medication.
Day had Summer Squall fourth for most of the trip before the colt made his winning move along the rail.
Unbridled was back in the pack as Fighting Notion led Mister Frisky, Kentucky Jazz and Summer Squall past the stands for the first time, into the turn, and down the backstretch to the half-mile pole. Suddenly, Unbridled shot into contention. He was third behind Fighting Notion and Mister Frisky and ahead of Summer Squall when they reached the quarter pole.
The victory was a vindication for Day, who had ridden Unbridled to victory in the Florida Derby, but then decided that he would ride Summer Squall in the Triple Crown races.
"I was confident in my choice and I'm still confident," Day said before the race. "I still wouldn't trade places with Craig."
Carl Nafzger, the trainer of Unbridled, has said his colt would go to the Belmont despite racing on Lasix. He also said Day might have been happy to change places with Perret if he hadn't gotten through on the rail Saturday.
"Everything was going right," Nafzger said. "It looked like everything was unfolding for us."
It looked for a moment like a replay of the Derby stretch run. Then, flash - Summer Squall flew by on the inside.
"Pat went inside," Nafzger said. "If he doesn't get through, he looks like a dummy."
This time, Day, who has failed to win in eight tries at the Derby, looked like a winner for the second time in four starts in the Preakness.
Perret paid tribute to the smallish Summer Squall, who stands only 15.3 hands and weighs about 950 pounds.
"Summer Squall, the little guy that he is, is a powerhouse," Perret said. "But I was delighted with the way my horse ran. Summer Squall ran his big race."
"This is a very courageous horse," Day said. "When the hole opened up, he went for it, and the race was virtually over at that point."
Summer Squall's third victory in five starts this year, and eighth triumph in 10 career races, was worth $445,900 from a purse of $686,000, and boosted his earnings to $1,330,978.
*****
(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Preakness Stakes Results
Win - Summer Squall - Jockey: Pat Day
Place - Unbridled - Jockey: Craig Perret
Show - Mr. Frisky - Jockey: Gary Stevens