100 not out! Stalwart Summerghand reaches landmark

Three cheers for Summerghand. Or should it be 100 of them? 

One of Flat racing’s great stalwarts, trained by David O’Meara in Upper Helmsley, near York, will chalk up a century of runs when he contests the Moet & Chandon International Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. It will, indeed, be a champagne moment for all concerned.

While not quite the force of old, the ten-year-old is still more than capable of holding his own in some of the sport’s most prestigious races over 6f and 7f. 

He gave a reminder of that on his latest start, in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket, when an honourable third off a rating of 93. 

The first of Summerghand’s 100 races was on May 6, 2017, when he finished fourth in a Doncaster maiden. 

He won next time out at Chelmsford by a short head, establishing a pattern where he has won and lost by narrow margins – plus dead-heated in between. In total, he has featured in 12 photo-finishes. 

Summerghand now has 17 wins to his name, with all bar three of those triumphs being by a length or under. 

Highlights have been his victory in the Group Three Abernant Stakes (when he beat Oxted and Emaraaty Ana) plus victories in the 2020 Stewards’ Cup and 2022 Ayr Gold Cup. He’s won twice at the Ebor Festival, with his near misses including a nose defeat in the 2020 Wokingham. 

His connections must have had great fun following his journey over the years, scooping £624,000 worth of prize-money along the way. 

"I wish I had a few more like him" - O'Meara told us more about Summerghand after a dead-heat at York (above) and Ayr Gold Cup success (below)

He’s run at 23 different racecourses, in every month of the year, and been partnered by 22 different jockeys. Tom Marquand will become the 23rd to partner him on Saturday. Danny Tudhope has been on Summerghand 45 times, winning on 10 occasions and being runner-up seven more. 

August has often been his most lucrative month: he’s run 13 times, winning or finishing second on ten occasions. He’s gone off favourite, or joint-favourite, 15 times and hit the target five times when market leader. Those who have followed him through his campaign would have been able to toast other wins at 22/1, 16/1 and 12/1. He is a best-priced 25/1 to strike on Saturday.

Neptune Legend, his five-year-old half-brother, is also standing up well to regularly racing, having had 48 races. Another of his siblings, Eastern Impact, had 44 runs. 

After his Ayr Gold Cup success, O’Meara said: “When Summerghand gets going he finishes his races very well and these big sprint handicaps suit him. He's been around a long time and he's as good as ever. He's got such a good constitution and he kind of looks after himself, he takes no training. He's an absolute legend.” 

And so say all of us.