Former claimer Skye Diamonds ascends class ladder in Dream of Summer

Sharp recent winners Skye Diamonds, Roo’s Valentine and Cuddle Alert all figure prominently in Sunday’s $100,000 Dream of Summer Stakes at Santa Anita as a competitive field of 10 older fillies and mares are set to compete at one mile on the main track.

Although both Skye Diamonds and Cuddle Alert have ascended the claiming ladder to compete in stakes company, Roo’s Valentine was a stakes winner versus statebreds late in her 2-year-old year and comes off a sharp recent allowance score.

SKYE DIAMONDS: Claimed five starts back by trainer Bill Spawr for $40,000 on Aug. 27 at Del Mar, this 4-year-old filly by First Dude has now won two allowance races in row and is three for four since the purchase. A winner going 6 ½ furlongs over a sloppy track two starts back on Jan. 7, she ran the best race of her career on Feb. 16, taking a six furlong second condition allowance here by 5 ¾ lengths. Although she tried a mile on turf in her third career start, the Dream of Summer will mark her first try around two turns on dirt. Owned by Allen Racing, LLC, Bloom Racing Stable, LLC or Acker, Skye Diamonds is 12-6-3-0 overall with earnings of $249,150.

ROO’S VALENTINE: Scratched out of last Sunday’s Irish O’Brien Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course, she comes off a solid half length win down the hill on Feb. 10. Trained by Kristin Mulhall, Roo’s Valentine has solid main track credentials as well as she eyes Sunday’s Dream of Summer, having two wins and a second from four tries at a mile on dirt. Owned by Kretz Racing, LLC, this 4-year-old filly will again get the services of Martin Pedroza, who’s guided her to all four of her wins from 13 lifetime starts. With an overall mark of 13-4-2-4, she has earnings of $255,555.

CUDDLE ALERT: Guided to a head victory in the six furlong Spring Fever Handicap on Feb. 19 by Agapito Delgadillo, who was subsequently discovered to have been suffering from a broken collarbone, this 6-year-old Bedford Falls mare will be ridden for the first time by upstart Israel Ocampo on Sunday. Trained by Reed Saldana, Cuddle Alert was claimed for just $10,000 eight starts back on Aug. 17 and has now won three out of her last five races—all at sprint distances. Based with Saldana at Los Alamitos, she has two wins from seven tries at a flat mile. Owned by Reed Saldana and Leopoldo Urbina, Cuddle Alert is 21-6-1-7 overall with earnings of $229,000.

THE $100,000 DREAM OF SUMMER STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

1.   Top Notch—Edwin Maldonado—120

2.   Skye Diamonds—Tiago Pereira—120

3.   Time for Ebby—Stewart Elliott—120

4.   Ashley’s Sassy—Jamie Theriot—120

5.   Run for Retts—Tyler Baze—120

6.   Roo’s Valentine—Martin Pedroza—120

7.   Mizzen Glory—Chantal Sutherland—120

8.   Sheer Pleasure—Kent Desormeaux—120

9.   Dressed to a T—Corey Nakatani—120

10. Cuddle Alert—Israel Ocampo—120