Summing (April 16, 1978 – October 10, 2008) was an American thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and

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Background

Summing was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by his owner Charles T. Wilson Jr. He was sired by Verbatim, a leading dirt performer whose wins included the 1969 Whitney Stakes. The best of his other progeny included Alphabatim and Princess Rooney. Summing's dam Sumatra was a high-class racemare whose wins included a division of the Santa Ysabel Stakes.

Racing career

Until the detection of a blood infection, Summing performed so poorly that he was dropped from graded stakes races and entered in an allowance race. Once the infection was found, he was unable to compete in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and the Preakness Stakes, although two weeks before the Belmont he was well enough to win the Pennsylvania Derby. Trained by

Luis Barrera Luis Rafael Barrera (born November 15, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics. Career Oakland Athletics Barrera signed ...

, brother of American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse trainer Laz Barrera, Summing is best known for his upset over U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt Pleasant Colony in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

with

George Martens George William Martens (1874 – 23 August 1949) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946, representing the electorate of Herbert. Early life Born ...

aboard. He won the race in a time of 2:29, spoiling Pleasant Colony's bid for the Triple Crown, as Pleasant Colony ran wide in the turn and placed third, behind

Highland Blade Highland Blade (April 26, 1978 – November 4, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won Grade I stakes on both dirt and turf, taking the Brooklyn, Marlboro Cup Invitational, and Pan American Handicaps. He was owned by Pen-Y-Bryn Fa ...

. In the fall, Summing won the Pegasus Stakes, then finished second in the

Super Derby The Super Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually in September at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana. Inaugurated in 1980, the Super Derby is open to three-year-olds and the distance is miles on the dirt. Currently a Gr ...

Stud record

Summing was retired to Jonabell Farm, where he stood at stud until from 1982 to 1991. He was then sent to Getaway Farm in California. Summing was pensioned from study duties in September 2003 due to declining fertilityhttp://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2003/September/17/Belmont-Stakes-winner-Summing-pensioned.aspx and stood at the farm until he died in his sleep of natural causes at 30 years old in October, 2008. His graded stakes race progeny include

Epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

, Summer Matinee, and Matthews Keep.

Pedigree

*Summing was inbred 4 × 4 to Nasrullah, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1978 racehorse births 2008 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Belmont Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 1-g