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

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse and sire.

Background

Summing was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by his owner Charles T. Wilson Jr. He was sired by

Verbatim Verbatim means word for word. Verbatim may also refer to: * Verbatim (brand), a brand of storage media and flash memory * Verbatim (horse), an American racehorse * ''Verbatim'' (magazine), edited by Erin McKean * Verbatim theatre Documentary th ...

, a leading dirt performer whose wins included the 1969

Whitney Stakes The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

. The best of his other progeny included

Alphabatim Alphabatim (27 January 1981 – 2004) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won at the highest level in both Europe and North America. As a two-year-old in Britain in 1983, he showed great promise, winning t ...

and

Princess Rooney Princess Rooney (March 22, 1980 – October 7, 2008) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first winner of a Breeders' Cup race to be inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. Racing career Racing at age two, Princess R ...

. Summing's dam Sumatra was a high-class racemare whose wins included a division of the

Santa Ysabel Stakes The Santa Ysabel Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race once run during January but now run in March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is open to fillies, age three, willing to race one and one-sixteenths miles (8.5 furlon ...

Racing career

Until the detection of a blood infection, Summing performed so poorly that he was dropped from

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...

s and entered in an allowance race. Once the infection was found, he was unable to compete in the Kentucky Derby and the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

, although two weeks before the Belmont he was well enough to win the

Pennsylvania Derby The Pennsylvania Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Parx Racing and Casino (formerly known as Keystone Race Track, then from 1986 through 2010 as Philadelphia Park) each year. The track's premiere event is open to horses, age three, ...

. Trained by Luis Barrera, brother of American Hall of Fame

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

Laz Barrera, Summing is best known for his upset over U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt

Pleasant Colony Pleasant Colony (May 4, 1978 – December 31, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and was named the 1981 American Champion Three-Year-Old. Background A big, gangly horse stan ...

in the Belmont Stakes with George Martens aboard. He won the race in a time of 2:29, spoiling Pleasant Colony's bid for the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

, as Pleasant Colony ran wide in the turn and placed third, behind Highland Blade. In the fall, Summing won the

Pegasus Stakes The Pegasus Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in June at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. An event for three-year-olds of either gender, it is contested at a mile and an sixteenth (eight and a half ...

, then finished second in the Super Derby.

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 California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. 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

progeny include Epitome, Summer Matinee, and Matthews Keep.

Pedigree

*Summing was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

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