Summers Eyes Saudi Glory With Rising Star Cyclone State

From Mind Your Biscuits To Middle East Mastery

Summers, who crafted his reputation through the remarkable achievements of Mind Your Biscuits, including consecutive Dubai Golden Shaheen victories in 2017 and 2018, brings a wealth of experience to the international stage. His first career victory came dramatically at the 2017 Dubai World Cup meeting, where Mind Your Biscuits stormed to a three-length triumph in the US$2 million Gr.1 Golden Shaheen.

The journey has come full circle, from his early days with Mind Your Biscuits to his current prospect. "Originally, we were going to put Mind Your Biscuits at the two-year-old training sale," Summers reveals. "In his practice run before the sale, he caught two horses in front of him, clocked them, and took off. He breezed the fastest of any horse that ever breezed at OBS at the time. On the sale day, he had the track to himself and breezed significantly slower, so he didn't sell. Thankfully, we kept him."

This experience with Mind Your Biscuits has shaped Summers' approach to international competition. His subsequent ventures included success with Bella Fever, a Uruguayan purchase that won the Meydan Classic Trial in Dubai and was the favourite in the inaugural Saudi Derby. "We went to Saudi Arabia the first year - that was the COVID year. It was very strange. They were cancelling trips to Mecca, which had never been done before. Mecca was closing when we went over there," Summers recalls. The trainer's international portfolio expanded further with Meraas in the sprint race two years ago, while maintaining connections through clients running Isolate in Saudi Arabia.

The Making Of A Front-Runner

The Iowa-bred Cyclone State, secured for a modest US$70,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, has already exceeded expectations. A son of multiple Group One winner McKinzie, he's showcased remarkable development, particularly in his last three starts at Aqueduct, culminating in a dominant Jerome Stakes victory where he powered to a 3 1/2-length success over Omaha Omaha in 1:40.82.

"When this horse first came to us at the racetrack in April, he would look around at everything he heard or saw," Summers recalls. "He was like a bird. We used to stuff his ears with cotton, put a hood on him, and blinkers every day to train, just to get him to focus. When he would focus, he'd be great and showed a lot of speed and enthusiasm, but if you took any of that stuff out, you'd be back to square one."

That early rawness has evolved into controlled aggression, though not without its challenges. "Even in his first race at Aqueduct, where they have a casino with a big building now, he can't train there. When he ran, he had a chance to make the lead at the top of the stretch, but he clocked the buildings despite having the blinkers and hood on. He started looking around, and it cost him the race."

"We thought if you had McKinzie's stamina and added his mother's speed, combined with his athletic, bouncy look, we might have something special. We got great value for him at US$70,000."

The progression through his recent victories has been methodical. "When we brought him back from Saratoga, we entered him in a race for main track only, hoping the field would be smaller and scratch down," Summers explains. "I said, 'Look, no matter what, let's make the lead.' When we ran him in that off-the-turf race the day after the Breeders' Cup in October, he made the lead but had to work hard. There was a Godolphin horse for Bill Mott that made him work. Eventually, he put that horse away, was in front by five or six lengths, and just got run down late."

Each victory has showcased his development, with form that continues to be franked by subsequent performances of his beaten rivals. "Two or three of those horses have come back and won their subsequent starts, showing us he beat horses with ability," Summers notes proudly.

Partnership And Communication

Behind Cyclone State's success lies a unique partnership between Gold Square, George Messina, and Michael Lee. Summers' approach to managing these relationships draws from his own experience transitioning from owner to trainer. "We have very much an open-door policy," he explains. "We welcome our owners to come out, bring their families, watch morning training, and observe the horses. We provide videos routinely of the horses galloping. Every time a horse breezes, they get a video of the workout."

This transparent approach has fostered strong connections despite geographical distances. "We have somebody involved in real estate, somebody in the catering business, and somebody who's an ear, nose, and throat doctor. Their backgrounds are completely different, but this is their passion -- not their job," Summers reveals. "Michael Lee from Alabama flew up with his wife and three girls. They spent New Year's Day and a couple of days in New York City, then came out to the race at Aqueduct. For them to share in this horse with us is a great pride and joy."

Kentucky Derby Dreams Vs International Opportunities

With ten Kentucky Derby points already secured, Summers faces a crucial decision regarding Cyclone State's immediate future. The Saudi Derby presents an intriguing alternative to the traditional US prep race path, potentially leading to the UAE Derby and beyond.

"If you followed suit and went to Dubai, you would go from Saudi to Dubai, spend two days in quarantine, run the race in Dubai, then come back for three days quarantine instead of seven," Summers outlines. "Right now, that plane is scheduled to come back on 9 April. Last year, Forever Young came on 10 April, so it's a similar trajectory even though the Dubai race is a week later."

The logistics of an international campaign require careful consideration. "If you come back from Saudi Arabia the way it's structured now, you would stay there for another six days, then seven days in quarantine where you're just walking in a barn -- not like the quarantine over there with a track behind you. You're not allowed out of the barn. So you would miss thirteen days of training if you went to Saudi and came right back."

"For us, the Kentucky Derby is everything. I know some people around the world think the Epsom Derby is the Derby, but in America, the Kentucky Derby is the Derby. The first question anybody asks you, whether they're involved in horse racing or not, is 'Have you ever won the Kentucky Derby?"

Learning From Past International Campaigns

Fresh from his experience with Clapton at Meydan last season, Summers has refined his approach to international campaigns. "Every horse is an individual, so there's no cookie-cutter approach with us," he emphasises. "We tailor-make every program to each horse. I have eight horses back here right now, and they're on three different kinds of sweet feed. We look at their blood work, study the individual horse, how they're doing, what they need to help them best mature."

Understanding the unique challenges of Middle East racing facilities has been crucial. The quarantine track in Saudi Arabia offers distinct advantages, being wider and more accessible than its Dubai counterpart. "You still have that walk to the track – it's about a mile walk in Saudi Arabia, as opposed to Dubai, which is a two-mile walk," Summers explains. "The gate in Saudi Arabia is much more narrow – it's French-made, not what we're used to in the United States. He's good because, unlike most American horses, he doesn't have somebody holding him in the gate. Normally, we're used to that in the American style. In Saudi Arabia, the gate is so narrow that nobody can even sit in the gate holding you - you're by yourself."

The lessons learned from previous campaigns have shaped his strategy. "What I learned with Clapton and Drew's Gold, going for four months last year, is you can't take them to the main track every day - that two-mile walk gets to you," he shares. "Making that walk every day, we feel, is what affected Clapton in the second race. If we were to take Cyclone State from Saudi to Dubai, we would not train him on the main track every day."

The immediate future holds crucial decisions, with Cyclone State heading to Florida for key preparatory work. "He's going to leave New York and head to Florida on Monday. We'll breeze him on 23 January, and that'll be his first breeze back," Summers outlines. "We'll make the decision on that second breeze, when he breezes back on 1 or 2 February. It's not something we take lightly."

For Summers, whose first Group One victory came on international soil, the prospect of returning to Saudi Arabia with a genuine contender represents both a challenge and an opportunity. "We hold that with us, and we're grateful for the opportunities to maybe go back there to make up for the mistakes we made last year," he reflects. "This is not something you do by yourself, but it includes the riders, grooms, hot walkers, vets, dentists, therapeutic people, the farms, and the ones that break them. Maybe I'm putting the saddle on, but everybody it took to get them to this point should be represented."

"We appreciate and respect the opportunities provided, and we're going to do what we feel is best for the horse," he affirms. "Whether that's travelling to the Middle East or staying home for now and maybe travelling next year, we'll leave that up to the horse to do the talking, but we're excited about both the avenues ."