Wow Whata Summer stuns in Penn Mile
Trainer Chuck Lawrence said earlier this week that he was “really excited” about what he was seeing from three-year-old Wow Whata Summer in training.
The bettors should have listened. They made him 83-1 in Friday’s ninth running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Penn Mile.
- Witty pointed to Maryland Million Turf Sprint defenseDefending Maryland Million Turf Sprint champ Witty will seek to become the second repeat winner of that event Saturday, Ben’s Cat having been the first.
No matter. Wow Whata Summer made a bold inside middle move to reach even terms with leader Uncaptured Spirit, put that rival away rounding the far turn, and turned back the late bid of favored Annapolis to score a stunning upset.
Running time on a soft turf course 1:42.39.
The win on Wow Whata Summer was one of three for jockey Tyler Conner, the locally-based rider who bested bigger names like Irad Ortiz, Paco Lopez, and Flavien Prat in the Penn Mile.
The win was Wow Whata Summer’s second from seven career starts. He has earned $296,000. A homebred for Jeremy Brooks, he had won at first asking last summer at Colonial Downs before losing five consecutive starts. But after being gelded over the winter, it looks like he’s achieved liftoff.
One race prior to the Penn Mile, Haughty scored a popular victory in the $150,000 Penn Oaks, also contested at one mile on the turf.
Haughty had last raced in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November, a race in which she closed sharply to finish third, beaten less than a length. So, understandably, the Penn Oaks bettors made her the 2-5 post time favorite.
And she delivered. Under jockey Flavien Prat, Haughty bided her time in fourth early, but never far behind 64-1 leader Irie Empress, who doled out sluggish fractions while dictating the tempo under Dexter Haddock. Haughty moved up under her own power rounding the far turn, drifted out wide entering the stretch, and cruised home nearly five lengths clear while wrapped up late.
Running time for the Penn Oaks was 1:44.43. Haughty is trained by Chad Brown for Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron, and Team Hanley.
In state-bred stakes action on the card:
- Maldives Model scored a 10-1 upset in the Lyphard Stakes on the turf for jockey Tyler Conner, trainer Erin McClellan, and owner Tom Coulter.
- Buy Land and See (off at 2-5) won the With Anticipation on the turf for Flavien Prat, Tony Dutrow, and owner Joseph Imbesi.
- Nimitz Class (4-1) won the Danzig for three-year-olds on the main track. Tyler Conner rode for trainer Bruce Kravets and owner Tom Coulter.
- Bazinga C (7-5) won the New Start for three-year-old fillies on the dirt. Horacio Karamanos was up for traner Tim Kreiser and owner Joe Besecker.
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