Chummers seeks third stakes win of the meet in $200K Gio Ponti
Blue Bison Stable’s Chummers will look to run his win streak to four in Closing Day Monday’s $200,000 Gio Ponti, a one-mile inner turf route for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Ray Handal, the New York-sired and New York-bred son of Combatant launched his streak with a confidence-boosting score when dropped in for a $55,000 claiming tag on June 19 at Belmont at the Big A. The dark bay ended a five-race losing streak that day with a 3 3/4-length win in the 1 1/16-mile turf route and has competed solely in stakes company since here at the Spa.
Handal said he has been overwhelmed by the change in demeanor from Chummers since the claiming score.
“I could have never dreamt it. Certainly not a couple months ago when he could have got claimed for $55,000,” Handal said, with a laugh. “He's a different animal. It's exactly what he needed. I remember [D. Wayne] Lukas said that about Charismatic when he dropped him in a few starts before he won the Derby - he needed a confidence booster, was out of form, and he won that race and then he won the Derby. Never underestimate what winning can do for somebody or for some horse.
“Horse racing, in general, is a lot about confidence,” he continued. “You can see that with certain riders in form and out of form. Why wouldn't it be that way with the horses? He's just in the zone right now.”
The $6,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale won the state-bred Rick Violette traveling 1 1/16-miles on July 24 here, posting a gritty neck win over Caroline St. Beat, who exited that effort to defeat elders in a local state-bred allowance and is entered back in Saturday’s Grade 2 Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs.
Chummers found his way to the winner’s circle once more last out with a rallying score in the Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series on August 20. Flavien Prat was aboard for the first two wins of his current streak but retained the mount on stakes-winner Jaxer in the Cab Calloway as Dylan Davis took over aboard Chummers. Davis engineered a ground saving trip from fourth position, tipping Chummers out for the stretch run and surging home a narrow winner over A Little At First with five lengths back to Jaxer in third.
Handal credited Davis after the Cab Calloway coup for being prepared for the quirky Chummers to jump into the bridle down the backstretch. Davis was able to settle Chummers into stride and use the saved energy to reel in A Little At First.
“He's got all the heart in the world,” Handal said of Chummers. “He really ran that horse down last time. It was super impressive.”
Handal said Chummers has exited the Cab Calloway in good order.
"He's doing great. I was only going to run him if he was doing exceptionally well and he's doing just that,” Handal said. “He has a ton of energy and is dappled from head-to-toe. He's carrying great weight.
"I had to send him away from there and have a big open gallop today,” Handal added. “He's a high-energy horse. I think he'll go out there and fire his good race.”
Chummers has banked $291,340 through an 11-4-1-0 record returning nearly 50 times his purchase price thus far. The upwardly mobile fellow is one of 20 horses with two wins at the meet and has a chance to vault to the top of that table on Monday.
Handal said the ability to run Chummers in races restricted to state-bred or state-sired company was part of the impetus to buy.
“He's put together really nicely, and I thought it was a no-brainer - we couldn't get hurt with him because he looked so athletic,” Handal said. “I didn't imagine him becoming what he's become, but I felt with his breeding and being by a New York sire we'd be able to make some money with him and boy has he done that. I wish we could do that with all of them.”
Chummers, bred by Levings Racing, is out of the unraced Colonel John mare Giant Bird, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Mucho Gusto.
Davis returns to the irons from post 8.
Glen Hill Farm’s Third Coast [post 2, Jose Lezcano, blinkers OFF] exits a pair of starts in graded company for trainer Tom Proctor.
The Uncle Mo gelding won the one-mile Jersey Derby on May 30 at Monmouth Park with a stalking trip and followed with a similar approach when a 1 1/2-length sixth in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 4 here. Last out, Third Coast added blinkers and set the pace in the local one-mile Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 7, and landed a 2 3/4-length fifth. The blinkers will come off for Monday's start.
Third Coast, a half-brother to stakes-winner Wrigleyville, is out of the dual Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Marketing Mix.
Arthur Hoyeau’s Lyneham [post 4, Manny Franco] arrives from a fifth-place finish in the Group 3 Prix Daphnis traveling a straight mile on August 9 at Deauville.
Trained by Christophe Ferland, the Wootton Bassett colt won a pair of starts in his native France last year and has focused on stakes events as a sophomore with his best result coming with a fourth-place finish traveling one-mile on the straight in the Sir Henry Cecil on July 9 at Newmarket when 3 1/4-lengths back of the victorious Shayem, who exited that effort to upset Talk Of New York in the Group 3 Thoroughbred on July 31 at Goodwood.
Lyneham, out of the stakes-placed Rock of Gibraltar mare Llanita, is a half-brother to Lindy, who was second in both the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in 2023.
Doubting Thomas [post 6, John Velazquez], a Virginia-homebred for the Estate of R. Larry Johnson, boasts a perfect 5-3-2-0 in-the-money record and arrives from a win in the Colonial Turf Dash on August 8 at its namesake oval.
Trained by Michael Trombetta, the Caravaggio bay won a pair of restricted events to start his career as a juvenile at Colonial topped by a pacesetting score in the Jamestown over 5 1/2-furlongs of firm footing. He closed from eighth-of-9 and 6 1/4-lengths off the pace to finish second in the six-furlong Tom Ridge in his seasonal debut in June on Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs and followed with a head second in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance on July 12 at Colonial ahead of his recent stakes score.
Doubting Thomas, a half-brother to Grade 3-winner Spun Glass, is out of the multiple stakes-placed Songandaprayer mare Allwewantforxmas – a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Hard Enough.
Also entered are Black Hornet [post 9, Edgard Zayas], winner of the Black Gold in February at Fair Grounds Race Course for trainer Brendan Walsh; Glorious Boy [post 1, Rajiv Maragh, blinkers ON], winner of the Listed Pulpit in November over the Gulfstream Park synthetic for conditioner Carlos Martin; Glavine [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], a three-quarter length third as the favorite in the restricted Listed Saranac in July here for trainer Tom Morley; as well as maiden winners Siyouincanada [post 7, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Joe Sharp and Bull Shoals [post 5, Jose Morelos] for conditioner Jena Antonucci.
Chief Wallabee and Talk to Me Jimmy are entered for the main-track only.
The Gio Ponti is slated as Race 11 on Monday’s 12-race card, which also features the $200,000 Funny Cide in Race 10. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
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