Summer Bird works toward Jockey Club Gold Cup

SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone), who secured the lead in the divisional race for

champion three-year-old male honors with a 3 1/2 length score in last month's

Tarvers S. (G1), worked four furlongs in :50 3/5 over the fast main track at

Belmont Park on Tuesday. The Tim Ice-trained colt, who had a work postponed last

weekend due to inclement weather, is expected to make his debut against older

horses in October 3 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) over 1 1/4 miles.

Owned and bred by Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman in Kentucky, Summer

Bird made a belated debut at Oaklawn Park on March 1, then broke his maiden at

the same track 19 days later. He closed well to be third in the Arkansas Derby

(G2) in his stakes debut, but was a well beaten sixth in the slop at the

Kentucky Derby (G1). He made amends when defeating Derby winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone)

in the Belmont S. (G1), scoring by 2 3/4 lengths under Kent Desormeaux. The pair

reunited for the Haskell Invitational (G1) at Monmouth Park, when Summer Bird

finished six lengths second to Horse of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia

d'Oro).

Summer Bird has bankrolled $1,573,040 from a line of 7-3-1-1.