Summer of Fun takes class drop for Valley View

Hardly disgraced when a solid fifth in last month's Garden City at Belmont

Park, Summer of Fun goes for a belated first graded win Friday in the Grade 3,

$150,000

Valley View at Keeneland. The 1 1/16-mile grass test for three-year-old

fillies will have a maximum of 12 starters, with two entrants currently on the

also-eligible list.

Lightly raced this term after a juvenile season that included third-place

efforts in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Jessamine, Summer of

Fun peaked in August with a 1 1/2-length score in the $100,000 Auntie Mame, a

restricted overnight stakes at Saratoga. Book-ending that performance was a

photo-finish loss to the multiple Grade 1-placed Emotional Kitten in the May 18

Hilltop at Pimlico, and the aforementioned fifth in the Garden City, where

Alterite, runner-up in last weekend's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, and

Grade 1 heroine Discreet Marq, who landed the Pebbles on Monday's Columbus Day

program at Belmont, landed the top two prizes.

Summer of Fun should enjoy the class relief Friday, but the Valley View has

come up competitive. Nellie Cashman, who pulled off a 19-1 upset of the Virginia

Oaks one race after breaking her maiden in Pennsylvania-bred company, nearly

pulled off another stunner in the August 18 Lake Placid at Saratoga. She crossed

the wire first by a nose, but the 20-1 chance was caught drifting out into

rivals late and was disqualified to third.

Unbelievable Dream and Overheard were separated by a half-length at the

finish of the April 18 Appalachian, the premier three-year-old filly turf race

of the Keeneland spring meet, but have taken divergent paths since. Unbelievable

Dream was subsequently unplaced in three outings and, most recently, finished

third in Saratoga's $100,000 Riskaverse. Overheard spent the summer at her

Woodbine base, where she stayed competitive by captured the $130,000 Alywow and

placing in the Selene, Ontario Colleen, and La Lorgnette.

Every Way, runner-up in the Pucker Up and a Hatoof division at Arlington Park

in her last couple of starts, will meet a familiar foe in Frivolous, who

disappointed in the same races despite a very sharp second in the Arlington Oaks

in July.

Among the recent allowance winners that might step up with a good race in the

Valley View are She's Popular, Sustained, and the also-eligible

Hedonemewrongsong and Sense to Compete.

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