Few horses have had more appropriate names than Summer Starlet. A 6½-length graduate from the maiden ranks on August 8 at Saratoga, the filly flashed star quality as summer drew to its traditional close over the Labor Day weekend. Sent after the historic Spinaway Stakes (USA-G1) on September 5, Summer Starlet made nothing of trouncing Schuylerville Stakes winner Harper’s Corner and five other rivals, winning by 4¾ lengths. Undefeated in her brief career, Summer Starlet has banked $228,250 for owners BC Stables, Wattswood Stables, Bob Albritton, Jay Graham, and David Baggett.
Bred by Newstead Corp., Summer Starlet is the second Grade 1 winner of 2026 for Lane’s End Farm stallion City of Light, also the sire of Shoemaker Mile Stakes winner Formidable Man. The son of Quality Road and the Dehere mare Paris Notion won four Grade 1 races during his own racing career and has 20 stakes winners from the 391 named foals in his first four crops (runners aged 3 and up). His best-known runner to date has been 2023 American champion 2-year-old male Fierceness, now standing at Ashford Stud.
On the distaff side, Summer Starlet traces back to Monarchy, whose family (developed by Claiborne Farm) is an American branch of the great English family of Aloe, her great-granddam. A full sister to the great Round Table, Monarchy won the 1959 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and continued the family through her Nijinsky II daughter State, the dam of four graded stakes winners.
Of State’s foals, the most significant is arguably Narrate. A daughter of 1975 American champion 2-year-old male Honest Pleasure, Narrate won the 1983 Falls City Handicap (USA-G3) and produced two important daughters. One, Preach, won the 1991 Frizette Stakes (USA-G1) and produced multiple Grade 2 winner Pulpit (by A.P. Indy), a good stallion who continued his male line through three-time American champion sire Tapit. The other, Yarn, produced 2000 English and Irish champion 2-year-old male Minardi (by Boundary) and Grade 2 winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat (by Storm Cat) and is the second dam of 2001 European and American juvenile male Johannesburg (by Hennessy), whose male line leads to 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify.
Yarn has one other stakes winner to her credit, Spunoutacontrol (by Wild Again), who is the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Fed Biz (by Giant’s Causeway) and restricted stakes winner Spun Silk (by A.P. Indy). The last-named mare is, in turn, the dam of 2016 Vosburgh Stakes (USA-G1) winner Joking (by Distorted Humor). Spunoutacontrol is also the dam of unraced Always Trouble (by Bernardini), whose winning daughter Act Now (by Street Sense) produced Summer Starlet as her fourth foal. Previously the dam of Grade 2-placed Coach Prime (by Quality Road) and stakes-placed Dr. Oseran (by Kitten’s Joy), Act Now had no foal in 2025 and most recently became the dam of a 2026 filly by Practical Joke.
According to trainer Steve Asmussen, Summer Starlet’s next likely target will be the October 2 Alcibiades Stakes (USA-G1), a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly (USA-G1) that will be contested over the same course (Keeneland) and distance (8½ furlongs). Her results in those races will determine whether she remains a starlet or becomes the leading lady of her division.
Bred by Newstead Corp., Summer Starlet is the second Grade 1 winner of 2026 for Lane’s End Farm stallion City of Light, also the sire of Shoemaker Mile Stakes winner Formidable Man. The son of Quality Road and the Dehere mare Paris Notion won four Grade 1 races during his own racing career and has 20 stakes winners from the 391 named foals in his first four crops (runners aged 3 and up). His best-known runner to date has been 2023 American champion 2-year-old male Fierceness, now standing at Ashford Stud.
On the distaff side, Summer Starlet traces back to Monarchy, whose family (developed by Claiborne Farm) is an American branch of the great English family of Aloe, her great-granddam. A full sister to the great Round Table, Monarchy won the 1959 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and continued the family through her Nijinsky II daughter State, the dam of four graded stakes winners.
Of State’s foals, the most significant is arguably Narrate. A daughter of 1975 American champion 2-year-old male Honest Pleasure, Narrate won the 1983 Falls City Handicap (USA-G3) and produced two important daughters. One, Preach, won the 1991 Frizette Stakes (USA-G1) and produced multiple Grade 2 winner Pulpit (by A.P. Indy), a good stallion who continued his male line through three-time American champion sire Tapit. The other, Yarn, produced 2000 English and Irish champion 2-year-old male Minardi (by Boundary) and Grade 2 winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat (by Storm Cat) and is the second dam of 2001 European and American juvenile male Johannesburg (by Hennessy), whose male line leads to 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify.
Yarn has one other stakes winner to her credit, Spunoutacontrol (by Wild Again), who is the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Fed Biz (by Giant’s Causeway) and restricted stakes winner Spun Silk (by A.P. Indy). The last-named mare is, in turn, the dam of 2016 Vosburgh Stakes (USA-G1) winner Joking (by Distorted Humor). Spunoutacontrol is also the dam of unraced Always Trouble (by Bernardini), whose winning daughter Act Now (by Street Sense) produced Summer Starlet as her fourth foal. Previously the dam of Grade 2-placed Coach Prime (by Quality Road) and stakes-placed Dr. Oseran (by Kitten’s Joy), Act Now had no foal in 2025 and most recently became the dam of a 2026 filly by Practical Joke.
According to trainer Steve Asmussen, Summer Starlet’s next likely target will be the October 2 Alcibiades Stakes (USA-G1), a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly (USA-G1) that will be contested over the same course (Keeneland) and distance (8½ furlongs). Her results in those races will determine whether she remains a starlet or becomes the leading lady of her division.
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