2025 Summer Stakes Preview at Woodbine Racetrack

Key takeaways

• The one-mile turf race, Summer Stakes (G1), at Woodbine Racetrack offers a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf berth and drew a full field of 12, blending local talent with international shippers.
• Teddy’s Rocket (12-1) brings the strongest foundation with a mile win at Saratoga, while Two Out Hero (3-1) looks to extend his unbeaten Woodbine streak.
• European shipper Thesecretadversary (6-1) offers value, with proven stamina and Frankie Dettori aboard, making him a live threat in this wide-open Grade 1.

The best juvenile turf horses clash Saturday, September 13, at Woodbine Racetrack in the Grade 1, $500,000 Summer Stakes. The one-mile turf race, which drew a competitive field of 12, offers the winner an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on October 31 at Del Mar.

To date, one horse has swept the Summer Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf: Pluck, who won the pair in 2010. However, Dreaming of Anna beat the boys in this race in 2006 and then won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies—this was before there were juvenile turf races in the Breeders’ Cup. Other notable winners of the Summer Stakes include Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer (1963) and Eclipse Award winner Sky Classic (1989).

The Summer Stakes is part of the Turf Champions Day card at Woodbine. In addition to this race, the card also features the Natalma Stakes (G1), a qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the Woodbine Mile (G1), a Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) qualifier. There are also two graded stakes on the all-weather, the Vigil (G3) and the Ontario Matron (G3).

2025 Summer Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 13, 2022
• Track: Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario
• Post Time: 3:54 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 mile on the inner turf course
• Age/Sex: two-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Summer Stakes: Woodbine Draw and Odds

This is the full field for the 2025 edition of the Summer Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. Often, there will be horses cross-entered between the Summer and its fillies’ complement, the Natalma, but all of these horses are colts or geldings, and no one is cross-entered.

Summer Stakes Prep Race Results

The 12 runners in the Summer Stakes come out of eight different races. The only race that has more than one last-out runner is, unsurprisingly, the Soaring Free Stakes, the 6 ½-furlong local prep for the Summer. The top five finishers from the Soaring Free—over half the field of nine—all press on to the Summer. Tops among them was Two Out Hero, who won by 1 ½ lengths in stalk-and-pounce fashion. Casson was second after doing the dirty work on the front end. Argos was hung wide and finished third, another neck back. Rude Procedure flattened to fourth, 2 ½ lengths behind the winner, and Jupiter ran an even fifth after a rough start.

Two others come out of stakes races, both overseas. The only one to come out of a graded-stakes or group-stakes race is morning-line favorite Wild Desert, who was last seen finishing a troubled third in the Superlative (G2), a seven-furlong stakes at Newmarket on July 12. Thesecretadversary, the other European shipper, won the Churchill Stakes at Tipperary in Ireland on August 8.

The other five runners step up into the Summer Stakes out of maiden special weight victories. Three graduated on the turf: Timeframe tracked the pace won at second asking, going seven furlongs at Woodbine on August 16, Bill of Ice rallied to win his debut on August 24 at 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine inner turf, and Teddy’s Rocket stalked and pounced on debut, going a mile at Saratoga on August 7. The other two last-out maiden winners graduated on the Tapeta at Woodbine: Marcus J led at every call, going six furlongs on August 3, and Military Time stalked and took over going 6 ½ furlongs on August 31.

Summer Stakes Contenders

These are the runners in the 2025 Summer Stakes, organized by post position.

1. Argos: The rail draw could be treacherous in a field of 12, and it’s a concern he has never drawn inside before. However, with several speed horses in the race, his tactical pace is a positive, as is the fact that his pedigree suggests he will improve with more ground. It’s also a positive that Flavien Prat sees fit to return to Woodbine and ride again, and that he will get a faster pace to chase than he did in the Soaring Free last out.
2. Rude Procedure: With three starts, he is one of the more experienced runners in three field, though he only won his five-furlong Tapeta debut and has been beaten in stakes company in two starts since. He has also not yet proven he can win a race without getting his own way on the front end, a concern both because of the inside draw and because of the presence of several horses who are going to make a battle of it.
3. Timeframe: He came up flat on debut on Tapeta, but got something out of that start and turned in an improved effort in a seven-furlong turf maiden on August 16. He got an honest pace for the distance, settled a couple of lengths off of it, and finished up the rail to get there. That rail rally suggests he might be able to handle this relatively inside post, and he should get another honest pace to chase. And, being a Not This Time half to Union Strike and Handsome Mike, the pedigree suggests that a mile should be right in his wheelhouse.
4. Thesecretadversary: With four starts, he is the most experienced horse in the field. And, he is coming into the race in the right form—he lost his first three starts by narrow margins, but got there by a length last out in a 7 ½-furlong race at Tipperary. He has shown a tracking style in all four of his races; though he may not get quite as close early behind North American speed, staying out of the battle should be a positive, and he gets the hot-riding Frankie Dettori aboard.
5. Two Out Hero: He is likely to be one of the hottest ones in the market after two sharp wins—a frontrunning maiden score over off-turf foes at Woodbine, and then a stalk-and-pounce victory in the Soaring Free on the grass. The sharp grass effort is a plus, as is the fact that he was able to show tactical pace in that last-out start. He keeps Rafael Hernandez from both of those previous races, another positive. There’s enough pedigree to think he can get the mile, and he would be no surprise, especially if he can work another stalking trip from a good middle draw.
6. Bill of Ice: He only has one start, but he is the only horse in the field turning back in distance from last out—he debuted at a demanding 1 1/16 miles and won by 3 ¾ lengths, well befitting his pedigree. He didn’t have particularly fast fractions to close into, either, meaning the pace may set up well for him. He has to move up in terms of speed figures, which is a concern, but has upside at a big price for connections going well.
7. Casson: The name of the game is speed—he wired both his maiden debut and the Victoria Stakes on the all-weather, then was second-best after doing the work up front in the Soaring Free. The problem for this Mark Casse trainee is that, with speed to both sides, he’ll have to work very hard again to be in the picture at the end of the race.
8. Marcus J: He comes into the race off of a debut maiden win, wire to wire, going six furlongs on the Tapeta on August 3. Pietro Moran is named on both him and Bill of Ice, so keep an eye out for a jockey change or scratch. Should he stay in the race, he’ll have a lot to prove, given both the inexperience and the presence of quite a bit of other pace in the race.
9. Military Time: This son of Gun Runner tracked the pace and took command on debut, going 6 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta on August 31. The tests will be steep: he switches to turf, stretches out, and faces winners for the first time. But, he has already proven he can pass horses, and being by Gun Runner out of a stakes winner at two turns on grass, he should find that the extra distance plays to his abilities.
10. Wild Desert: He hasn’t won since his debut in May at Haydock, getting beaten in a novice race the next out and then finishing third in a Group 2 in July. However, he had trip trouble in both of his defeats. The bad news is, in a field of 12, there is a chance for more trip trouble. But, on the other hand, he should love the extra ground, and Charlie Appleby has a good sense of shippers who will do well in North America.
11. Jupiter: He graduated on debut, but has been defeated in each of his next two starts, including a flat fifth in the Soaring Free. He is perhaps the biggest wild card in the race—his maiden win came battling on the pace, so perhaps he taps into that again and ends up making pace for others, but he at least didn’t spit the bit when having to chase on for second behind Casson in the Victoria Stakes. However, his worst race yet was his only try on the lawn, meaning others appeal more at this point.
12. Teddy’s Rocket: The one Saratoga shipper, he stalked and pounced to break his maiden as the chalk in a turf mile on August 7, clearing late and digging in to hold off a late-running foe. The post could be a recipe for ground loss, but outside posts do fare well enough at Woodbine, and he should be able to stay out of the early front-end scramble. If he stays near his morning line, he has plenty of upside.

Summer Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2025 Summer Stakes:

1. Teddy’s Rocket (12-1)

Assuming he stays anywhere near his morning-line odds, Teddy’s Rocket has a lot to like in this race. He is already a winner at a mile on the grass—in fact, he’s the only horse to even try a flat mile on the lawn (or any surface) so far. Winning a maiden special by open lengths at Saratoga was an auspicious beginning, and the tactical speed he showed that day could get him the winning trip once again. With Woodbine playing generally fair to outside gates, he should be able to get a clean outside tracking trip and mow down the leaders late.

The connections also appeal. Miguel Clement has picked up right where his late father Christophe, with whom he worked closely, left off, continuing to train top turf horses and win Grade 1 races with them. And he has shipped successfully to Woodbine before, winning with two of seven starters so far this meet. Joel Rosario, who rode him to victory at the Spa, also shows confidence by sticking with him.

2. Two Out Hero (3-1)

He has yet to set a foot wrong in two starts at Woodbine. The Kevin Attard trainee wired an overmatched bunch on debut over the Tapeta—he did that on the front end, which would raise questions if that’s the only style he had shown. But, next out in the Soaring Free, he switched to turf and showed he could stalk and pass horses. That day, he showed a sharp late pace into modest fractions—and he’ll get even more to run at this time around. If he can stay out of the early fight and make as good of an early run as he did in the local prep, he can string together a third straight victory.

The connections also strengthen confidence in Two Out Hero. Kevin Attard is a prodigious local winner who has a positive rate of return on horses racing second time on the grass. And, he keeps Rafael Hernandez—an excellent local rider who is particularly strong on the grass.

3. Thesecretadversary (6-1)

Both the overseas shippers, Wild Desert and Thesecretadversary, are logical contenders in this spot. But, in a field of 12, the decision comes down to price, and Thesecretadversary will be at least twice the price of Wild Desert. All four of Thesecretadversary’s races have been good—and though he has only won once, that win came in his most recent start, suggesting that the light is coming on. It’s also a positive that the light came on when he stretched out from seven to seven and a half furlongs, meaning the extra distance could have moved him along. Now, he gets another half furlong.

He also gets Frankie Dettori aboard. Not only is Dettori one of the most experienced turf riders in the world, but he is coming off a riding title at Kentucky Downs, meaning he is clicking in big-money races on the lawn. That, and the fact that James Stack doesn’t ship often but has taken down a handful of North American graded prizes, is enough to consider take a shot on Thesecretadversary as the other European.

Summer Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Summer Stakes?

A: The Summer Stakes happens on Saturday, September 13 at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is carded as the sixth of 12 on the card.

Q: Where is the Summer Stakes?

A: The race happens at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario. Usually, it is run over the E. P. Taylor outer turf, but with that being renovated, it is being run at two turns over Woodbine’s inner turf course.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Summer Stakes?

A: James Day had eight wins in the Summer Stakes between 1980 and 1993, the most of any trainer. Among trainers who have horses in the race this year, Mark Casse leads with four wins, most recently with Gretzky the Great in 2020. He can make it five if Casson, Jupiter, Military Time, Rude Procedure, or Timeframe wins in 2021.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Summer Stakes?

A: Wild Desert, shipping in for trainer Charlie Appleby, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite after a win and a Group 2 placing in England. That class and Appleby’s general record with shippers may mean he holds as the favorite come post time. Watch for action on Two Out Hero, the 3-1 second choice on the morning line: he is a perfect two-for-two, including a daylight win in the Soaring Free, the local prep race.

Q: Who is the best Summer Stakes jockey?

A: Robin Platts still holds the record for Summer Stakes wins with six, between 1975 and 1988. Among jockeys riding in the 2025 edition, no one has won it more than once. William Buick (Wild Desert), Dylan Davis (Military Time), Frankie Dettori (Thesecretadversary), Patrick Husbands (Casson), Joel Rosario (Teddy’s Rocket), and John Velazquez (Timeframe) have each won the Summer Stakes once.

Q: Who won the Summer Stakes in 2024?

A: New Century won the 2024 Summer Stakes for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey Oisin Murphy. New Century would go on to run fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Appleby returns with Wild Desert in 2025, though William Buick takes the call. Murphy does not ride the race this year.

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