Two for the "weeds" to remember!

With the Triple Crown season now wrapped up and Saratoga just one month away, we get ready for thoroughbred racing's second half of 2012. It's the time of the year where we begin to see the two year old runners, the best turf horses in the country and around the world show their ware and the three year old colts step up with older horses in the handicap division. This week we'll look at two very interesting grass runners, one here in the states and another one across the ocean. Hopefully these two will make a BIG bang later in the year for the Breeder's Cup races!



The past Saturday at Belmont Park , there was a three year old turf race which included possibly the best sophomore grass runner in the country and his name is Summer Front. Trained by the Frenchman; Christophe Clement, this son of War Front (who was a graded stakes sprint winner) and out of an unraced El Prado mare; Rose of Summer, is now 4 for 4 on grass and has also tested the dirt & synthetic surfaces. He was solid winning all three starts as a two year old, including an overnight stakes win at Gulfstream Park . His trainer this year tried graded stakes competition going a route in his two starts this year and was second on the polytrack and unplaced on dirt. Now back on grass on Saturday, he was the odds-on favorite versus nine foes and showed everyone that grass is his game. In an interesting trip going a mile, he rated kindly on the inside and was forced to maneuver to the outside when the opening on the inside closed. Near the sixteenth pole got to the outside and with a flourish stormed to the lead and victory. The horse reminds me of another pretty good Clement runner from a few year's ago named; Gio Ponti. A runner who excelled on the grass, he won the same race (Hill Prince Stakes) as Summer Front did and was 20 for 22 lifetime on the turf, and became a Eclipse Award winning horse later on in his career. From what I've seen from Summer Front so far this year, he could become a accomplished grass runner just like Gio Ponti. Remember his name!



In Europe this past Tuesday morning (our time) the best horse across the Atlantic and maybe in the world stretched his career streak to 11 for 11. Frankel, named for the legendary late Hall of Fame trainer; Bobby Frankel continued his undefeated streak and domination of thoroughbred racing in Europe . This four year old son of Galileo , trained by Sir Henry Cecil has won seven straight group I races at a mile and his effort in the Queen Anne Stakes was a superb winning by 11 lengths. He earned one of the best European Time Form figures with that victory. In his previous start, he was never asked during the running of the race. On Tuesday, his acceleration coming down the one mile straightway was visually stunning. No horse in Europe has been more dominate than Frankel and it is hoped that he'll ship to the states later on in the year for the Breeder's Cup races. He is the best miler on grass in Europe , so it's conceivable that he MAY try the Breeder's Cup Classic on dirt. Either way, these two horses I've mention this week are the best on grass going a mile.