Cupid’s Carson’s Run Wins G1 Summer Stakes

It was a Grade I-winning juvenile for Cupid on Saturday when Carson’s Run (2c Cupid x Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes) won the Grade I Summer Stakes.

Making his third start and second at the stakes level, Carson’s Run was last for the first half of the one-mile turf race as Dylan Davis let the race play out in front of them. They inched closer around the turn with Davis swinging him to the middle of the track into the stretch. That gave Carson’s Run the clear room he needed to take the lead and it was easy going from there.

Davis continued to urge him on until they hit the line 2 ¼ lengths in front to secure a place in November’s Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Racing for West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey, the Christophe Clement trainee has now won two of his three starts with a second in the Grade III With Anticipation Stakes as well.

“He did very well there because he saved all the ground he could and then when he angled him out at the quarter pole, we had to come wide obviously, but that way you don’t get any traffic,” said Christophe Lorieul, assistant to Clement. “He had a clear run from quarter pole to the wire and he really showed what he is today.”

Carson’s Run was a $170,000 juvenile purchase from Randy Miles earlier this year when going through the ring for the third time.

The Frankfort Park Farm-bred is the first foal out of the winning Hot N Hectic. That mare is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Rated R Superstar and to the dam of stakes winner Steph’sfullasugar.

This is also the family of another Grade I winner in Speech and graded stakes winner Wishful Tomcat.

Standing for $5,000, Cupid is the sire of seven stakes winners and 12 stakes performers in 2023 led by Carson’s Run and Grade II winner and Grade I Kentucky Oaks third Desert Dawn.