Photo:

Gary Johnson / Eclipse Sportswire

Frustrated by many aspects of racing, Chad Summers had been leaning toward retiring from training. Then Gold Square’s Filoso came along.

With such a promising 2-year-old in the barn, it was time to reconsider.

“He’s a naturally talented horse, which gives us a lot of excitement about the future,” said Summers, adding, “When you are blessed enough to be around a lot of good horses the way I have the last 20 years, you know what a good one looks like.”

The son of City of Light, out of the Bodemeister mare Kenda, was purchased for $210,000 as a yearling. Owner Al Gold, hopeful that he might be special, named him after a great friend, Louie Filoso.

The colt is set to make his fourth start Saturday in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. The selection of that race and its site reflects the level of Summers’ excitement. He very much wanted to give the youngster a race over the track with an eye toward the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

“We’re hoping that experience can be very, very important down the road,” said Summers.

Like all juveniles, Filoso is very much a work in progress. He rallied but ran out of ground when he finished fourth in his debut going six furlongs July 20 at Saratoga. He got the extra distance he needed at the same track when he competed at one mile in his second start and capitalized with a 3 1/2-length victory for jockey Dylan Davis.

He took a major step up in the Oct. 5 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. With Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard for the first time, Filoso unleashed a powerful closing kick to rally from far back. He wound up third to two of the top members of his class, runaway pace-setter East Avenue and Ferocious, in the Grade 1 contest.

Gold noted that Filoso finished 9 1/2 lengths behind commanding East Avenue in the Breeders’ Futurity and views the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club as an important gauge of the youngster’s ability. “I’m waiting to see what happens in this next race to determine how enthusiastic I am,” he said.

With Velazquez retaining the mount, Summers hopes the race will be a stepping stone to a big 3-year-old season. “It’s still a learning process,” he said. “You want to see in this race where he breaks and where he settles. It’s almost as important as the outcome because you are still learning about your horse.”

Summers turned 40 in October. As that milestone birthday neared, he took time for reflection. Part of that involved whether he wanted to continue to train in what he views as an extremely difficult environment.

“Toward the end of Saratoga (the meet closed Sept. 2), it felt like I wasn’t going to be able to provide my horses and my staff and my owners with what was needed,” he said. “For this horse Filoso to do what he does, it kind of re-energizes you and reinvigorates you and makes you keep going.”

Summers knows the buzz an outstanding horse creates in the barn. He oversaw crack sprinter Mind Your Biscuits from 2015 to 2018. The Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner closed with a record of 25: 8-10-3 and retired as the all-time leading earner among New York-breds with $4,279,566.

Summers spent last winter in Dubai, which only increased his frustration with some of the issues he pointed to in New York and elsewhere. He found it significantly easier to manage horses in Dubai.

“The condition book is the condition book. Ninety-five percent of the races you point to go,” he said. “It makes it difficult to train when you have no idea when a race is going to go. The condition book has turned more into a suggestion box than a tried-and-true thing.”

Summers believes the New York Racing Association did not seek enough input from trainers before it announced that it will race exclusively on a synthetic surface for three winter months when Belmont Park re-opens.

“It feels like there is a big disconnect between the front side and the back side at many of these tracks, so that part of it gets frustrating,” he said.

He also has concerns about some of the conduct of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Summers is hardly alone in his various complaints. Gold, who employs him as his bloodstock agent, racing manager and trainer, has heard them all and empathizes with him.

He is confident Summers’ passion for horses will keep him at the barn. “He is not going to leave the game. I really don’t think he’s going anywhere,” he said, hoping Filoso will justify his trainer’s lofty expectations.