Kentucky Summer provided Phoenix Thoroughbreds with their first winner of 2021, thanks largely to a superb ride from Adam Beschizza on Saturday, January 23.
The Dubai-based group enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2020 in regards to a total number of winners and the son of Tapit got them off the mark with for the new year with victory in an MSW at Fair Grounds.
The distinctive grey broke last from the gates in the One And One Sixteenth Miles event with the English rider allowing his mount to find his feet before attaching the colt onto the back of the field. Not afraid to be patient, the jockey slowly started to pass the rearguard through the first turn before picking off his rivals one by one down the backstretch. In third and more importantly in contention at the turn, the horse and rider had plenty to do. By the time he’d reached the top of the stretch Kentucky Summer still have a large enough margin to close on the long time leader, but with that horse firmly in his crosshairs Beschizza pressed the button. Pulling alongside with a furlong and a half to go the two horses eyeballed each other before Kentucky Summer eventually pulled ahead. The Steve Asmussen trainee downing his opponent by three-parts of a length after a prolonged battle.