Summer Front Confirmed for Duluth

Waterford Stable’s Summer Front, who was cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs and Sunday’s $100,000 Duluth at Saratoga Race Course, will run in the latter race, trainer Christophe Clement confirmed on Friday.

Clement cited the expected thunderstorms in New Kent, Va. as the primary reason for keeping Summer Front, a half-length winner of Belmont Park’s Grade 3 Hill Prince on June 16 last time out in New York.

“The combination of stretching him [from one mile to 1 ¼ miles] and the weather was slightly overwhelming,” said Clement. “The owner wanted to make a decision yesterday about what place to go. We decided to send the horse to Saratoga [from Belmont] in order to run him here Sunday.”

Ramon Dominguez was named to ride Summer Front, who is unbeaten in four starts on grass, in both the Virginia Derby and the one-mile Duluth.

“If he runs well [on Sunday], we’ll have some other races where he could run this summer,” said Clement. “Ramon will be riding him, which is great, and we’ll go from there.”

From the rail out, the Duluth also drew Film Shot and Howe Great, third and second, respectively, in the Hill Prince; Star Channel, third in Belmont’s London Company overnight stakes on June 29; Lockout, who broke his maiden on dirt on June 16 at Churchill Downs; Gold Megillah, 10th in the James W. Murphy on May 19 at Pimlico; Spring to the Sky, fifth in the Hill Prince; Heavy Breathing, second in the Lamplighter on May 26 at Monmouth Park, and Our Entourage, sixth the Hill Prince. Trainer Graham Motion said via Twitter that Howe Great is more likely to run in the Jersey Derby on Saturday at Monmouth than the Duluth.