Golden State Series: Snow Chief Stakes

HOMEBRED PRIDE

INDIAN PEAK CONQUERS THE SNOW CHIEF

BY EMILY SHIELDS

The morning after the June 20 Snow Chief Stakes, Dr. William T. Gray was on the lake, fshing. He enjoys the pleasant pastime under normal circumstances, but this was even better than usual: Gray was also celebrating Indian Peak’s victory in the $151,000 race.

Homebred Indian Peak, a 3-year-old son of Comic Strip—Ms. Booty, by Roar, was the second choice in a feld of seven going 1 1 ⁄8 miles on the Santa Anita turf course. Under jockey Mike Smith, Indian Peak settled in ffth early, then steadily progressed through the pack until he took the lead and outran the rallying California Kook to the wire. Favored Margot’s Boy, who was riding a three-race win streak, fnished third. Te fnal time was 1:48.11.

“I was as happy as could be,” Gray said. “I thought we could win it.”

Indian Peak, trained by Quinn Howey, was coming of a second-place fnish behind Margot’s Boy in a May 23 allowance optional claimer. He had won a maintrack allowance optional claimer March 28 over the synthetic surface of Golden Gate Fields, where he was also third, beaten 1 3 ⁄4 lengths, in the $102,700 El Camino Real Derby. His only other stakes experience came when he ran fourth, beaten four lengths, in the 2019 Gold Rush Stakes, and seventh on the dirt in the 2020 California Cup Derby.

Te Snow Chief result was made all the more special because runner-up California Kook is out of Kukaluka, a full sister to Indian Peak. Gray and his wife, Jill, who live in Cottonwood, bred Kukaluka,

© BENOIT PHOTO

Indian Peak, ridden by MIke Smith, wins Santa Anita’s Snow Chief for William and Jill Gray and trainer Quinn Howey

then sold her privately to Gary Barber after she broke her maiden in 2013. Kukaluka actually faced the boys on the track in the Snow Chief Stakes herself, fnishing seventh in 2014.

“To see them come running in one-two makes you feel pretty good,” Gray said. “Tis is what we breed for. I like horses that run long on the grass, so it worked out pretty well.”

Indian Peak’s sire, Comic Strip, stood for the Grays the last few years of his stallion career prior to his death in 2017. Indian Peak is one of his fnal foals. Ms. Booty is also deceased. All seven of the mare’s foals to race have been winners, including stakes winner La Fiera, a 2012 full sister to Indian Peak.

“We didn’t breed too many mares to him,” Gray said of Comic Strip, “but he was a pretty good old horse. He ended up with maybe seven stakes horses for us from very small crops that he had.”

Among the Comic Strip stakes winners bred by the Grays are Weewinnin and Handfull.

“We way underrated him,” Gray said. “Breeding him to the right kind of mares made a big diference. I have a lot of daughters by him, so I’m looking forward to what they can do.”

Te Grays have 15 mares and keep eight to 10 horses on the track each year.

Gray was equally pleased with Indian Peak’s victory in the Snow Chief for trainer Howey, saying, “He’s a young trainer, a real good kid and horseman. He’s going to have plenty of success if he sticks with it. I was darn excited to see him win.”