Upwardly mobile Chummers takes on undefeated Nessuna Pagina in $150K NYSSS Cab Calloway
Blue Bison Stable’s Chummers will look to double up on local stakes scores in Thursday’s $150,000 Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a one-mile inner turf event for eligible state-sired sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Ray Handal, the New York-bred Combatant gelding earned a field-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure last out for his rallying neck victory under Flavien Prat in the 1 1/16-mile state-bred Rick Violette on July 24 here.
Chummers launched his career on dirt here last July when a distant seventh in a restricted maiden sprint under Prat.
“I was really high on him before he ran and Prat got off him and said, 'you have to try turf with this horse, he seemed like he had run and then he was empty.' So, we switched him to turf and he took a big step forward,” Handal said.
Chummers, bred by Levings Racing, followed with a head second in his turf debut last August here and graduated at third asking against fellow state-breds while sprinting over firm turf in October at Belmont at the Big A. He completed his juvenile campaign with a pair of off-the-board efforts in stakes company, including a 3 1/4-length sixth to returning rival Jaxer in the state-bred Notebook in November.
The improving dark bay returned to action as a gelding for his sophomore campaign but was off-the-board in a trio of starts before Handal dropped him into a $55,000 claiming route versus elders on June 19 at Belmont at the Big A. The result was a wake-up performance from Chummers, who notched a 3 3/4-length win.
Last out, with Prat up from post 5-of-7, Chummers rated in sixth position before launching a seven-wide bid to overtake returning rivals A Little At First and Spirit of New York while holding off the late bid of Caroline St. Beat in a gritty stretch run to post a neck win in a final time of 1:40.61.
“After we castrated him, he took another big step forward. He was always a very timid horse, and I think that dropping him into the claiming race really got his mind focused on running,” Handal said. “Last time, he showed a whole new dimension, a lot of tenacity in fighting back when he got headed. He seems like a horse that's improving and going in the right direction.”
Handal admitted he’s happy he didn’t lose the horse after the confidence-boosting win two starts back.
“I was praying he got claimed,” Handal said, with a laugh. “Sometimes ignorance is bliss. He's certainly turned into a very productive horse for us.”
With Prat committed to Jaxer for the Cab Calloway, Dylan Davis will pick up the mount aboard Chummers from the inside post. Davis was aboard for a half-mile work August 14 over the Oklahoma training turf in company with maiden winner Fairy Godmother.
“It was very straightforward,” Handal said. “We achieved what we wanted, just a very basic work in 49 and a solid gallop out and I think he's ready to fire a big race next week.
“Flavien has ridden him perfectly both times,” Handal added. “But I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Dylan. He's my main man and I have no doubt he'll deliver an 'A-plus' ride as well.”
Chummers sold for $6,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and is out of the unraced Colonel John mare Giant Bird, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Mucho Gusto.
Transfiguration Stable’s Nessuna Pagina [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche] is a perfect 4-for-4 for trainer Paul Barrow, including a prominent nose score in the NYSSS Spectacular Bid over six furlongs of firm turf in June at Belmont at the Big A.
There, the pacesetting Nessuna Pagina switched leads and shied out a path on the turn for home, losing ground to onrushing rivals Spirit of New York and Illmatic before battling back gamely along the rail to nose out Illmatic in a three-horse photo. Objections from the riders of both Illmatic and Spirit of New York were dismissed by the stewards.
The victory was engineered by jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who improved his record to five for his last five at the Big A for Transfiguration Stable, winning thrice aboard The Revenger in 2023 and navigating Backed by Gold to victory in 2022, who was owned in partnership with Neal Allread.
“That race at Aqueduct was a surprise to me as he's never been a horse that would spook or shy at anything in training,” Barrow said. “It was all new to him, so I guess we'll give him that excuse, but so far he's been very businesslike in his races other than that moment.
“The fact that he lost some momentum at the quarter-pole at Aqueduct and reengaged his rider is a lot of credit to Kendrick Carmouche,” he added. “For the horse to dig back in shows he's got a little bit of desire to be the winner.”
The Honest Mischief gelding’s other three starts have come over dirt at Finger Lakes under Jeremias Flores, including an 11 1/4-length allowance romp last out on August 3 sprinting six-furlongs versus elders. The dominant score saw Nessuna Pagina stop the clock in 1:10.36 and earn a career-best 87 Beyer.
“We were really up in the air whether to run that horse that day or not because the track was a little bit wet, but he showed he could handle that, too,” Barrow said. “The effort was great, but the biggest thing with that race is we wanted to either breeze him a good, stiff breeze or run him and set him up for this next race. It worked out great as we ended up setting him up for this next race and we got the win, so it couldn't have gone better.”
Bred in New York by Blue Chip Bloodstock, Nessuna Pagina, a $20,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the Gemologist mare Brilliantkatherine.
John Kosciak of Transfiguration Stable provided the horse the tongue-in-cheek name, which translates from Italian to “no page” as Nessuna Pagina’s pedigree offers no black type through his fourth dam.
Undeterred, Nessuna Pagina is bulking up the pedigree with his own performances, steadily climbing up the distance and class ranks as he now looks to stretch out beyond six furlongs for the first time.
“We're going to see if he has the endurance to go a mile, I think he will,” Barrow said. “He gallops out strong in his races and in all of his works, but that's the biggest question - will he go the mile?
“He seems to get the lead with ease, but doesn't really need the lead,” Barrow continued. “So, his speed is a nice weapon to have.”
Barrow said he has taken a patient approach with the undefeated bay.
“We're trying to build him up. We want to make sure he has the foundation to continue on to be a nice horse and have a bright future,” Barrow said. “It's not all about one race, it's about building him up to the level we'd like to see him go and where his ability can take him.”
Barrow, who was leading trainer at Finger Lakes in 2023 and secured his 1,000th overall career win there last year, will be looking for his first win at the Spa.
“I've had some hard luck there in the past and ran some favorites that got beat, so it would mean a lot to get a win up there,” Barrow said.
Head of Plains Partners’ Jaxer [post 7, Flavien Prat] will return from a more than nine-month layoff dating to a rallying one-length score over Caroline St. Beat in the one-mile Notebook for New York-bred juveniles on November 14 at the Big A.
Trained by Graham Motion, the Slumber gelding graduated at third asking in October at Belmont at the Big A with a prominent 1 3/4-length victory over Coach Ryan when stretched out to 1 1/16-miles for the first time versus fellow state-breds.
Jaxer has prepared for his return at Fair Hill where he has worked steadily over the all-weather, including a five-eighths effort in 1:02.20 August 6.
Slumber, who was co-owned by Head of Plains Partners’ Sol Kumin under Sheep Pond Partners, stands at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, NY. Jaxer is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Lost Ticket. His dual stakes-winning third dam, Karis Makaw, is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Nationhood.
A talented field includes turf stakes winner Spirit of New York [post 6, Jose Ortiz] for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox; stakes-placed A Little At First [post 3, Javier Castellano] for trainer Horacio DePaz; and maiden winners Missionattheglen [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Michael LeCesse and Wit Storm [post 5, Katie Davis] for trainer Barclay Tagg; as well as the maiden Big Frosty [post 2, Manny Franco] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Sunday Boy, Sculcos Folly and Sociably Johnny are entered for the main-track only.
The Cab Calloway is slated as Race 7 on Thursday’s eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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