Wow Whata Summer Heats Up Kent Stakes

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Wow Whata Summer Heats Up Kent Stakes
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Photo: Nikki Sherman/EQUI-PHOTO
Wow Whata Summer upsets Annapolis in the Penn Mile at Penn National

Jeremy Brooks' Wow Whata Summer  will attempt to prove that his recent upset victory versus graded competition was not a fluke when he meets seven rivals in the $200,000 Kent Stakes (G3T) at Delaware Park July 2. The 1 1/8-mile grass stakes for 3-year-olds has an approximate post time of 3:30 p.m. ET.

In his last outing, Wow Whata Summer returned $168.60 after posting a 1 1/4-length triumph in the one-mile, $400,000 Penn Mile Stakes (G2T) over a soft Penn National turf course June 3.

In his only other outing this season, the homebred son of Summer Front   finished third in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance at Laurel Park on April 23. Last year, the Kentucky-bred trained by James Lawrence II posted a record of a win and a third from five starts. His career record is two wins and two thirds from seven starts with earnings of $296,000.

Lawrence has always thought highly of Wow Whata Summer; it had just been a matter of patience.

Video: Penn Mile S. (G2T)



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"Even going into the Penn Mile, we knew he had the ability," Lawrence said. "Last year, we just absolutely loved this horse, but he never delivered with what we saw in the morning. We gelded him over the winter and gave him some time off. He just seems like a little different horse now in that when the jockey asks him to go, he goes. We hope he will repeat his effort he had in the Penn Mile in the Kent Stakes. We feel really good that he will. He is coming into the race very well. He looks great and he has been a very happy horse."

His final start last year and his first start this year were the two races his connections used to decide to stay with him going long on the turf. 

"His only poor performance was on the dirt at the end of his 2-year-old season," Lawrence said. "But gelding him and giving him time really made a difference. I was very excited about his first race of the year at Laurel. He came from last going short and he finished third, but he finished strong, which gave me the confidence to run him longer in the Penn Mile and he responded."

Wow Whata Summer is 8-1 on the morning line, trailing 5-2 favorite Main Event , 3-1 Tommy Bee , 9-2 shot Speaking Scout , and 5-1 Elizar . The eight-horse field includes one main-track-only entrant in Rod Two Rod .

Heavy favorite Morning Matcha #3 with Frankie Pennington aboard won the $100,000 Main Line with ease at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA on March 8, 2022. The Pennsylvania-Bred is trained by Robert Reid, Jr., for owners LC Racing LLC, Cash Is King LLC and Gary Barber. Photo by Barbara Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO.
Photo: Barbara Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO
Morning Matcha wins the Main Line Stakes at Parx Racing

The Saturday program at Delaware includes three other stakes, including the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3) for 3-year-old fillies. LC Racing, Cash is King, and Gary Barber's Morning Matcha , trained by Butch Reid, is the 120-pound highweight against seven rivals in the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks on the main track.

Stakes-winning Morning Matcha has a record of 3-4-2 from 12 starts with earnings of $334,390. She returns to dirt after failing on grass most recently at Belmont Park.

"She is coming into the race perfect," Reid said. "We are coming into the race on a little short notice. But when we tried her on the turf in her last race in New York, she did not do a whole lot of running, so she is still pretty fresh, which gave us the idea of coming back in two weeks and taking a shot at the Delaware Oaks."


Entries: Kent S. (G3T)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 02, 2022, Race 7

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:30 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Speaking Scout (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Feargal Lynch 119 H. Graham Motion 9/2
2 2Xy Time (FL) J. D. Acosta 117 Bernardo G. Lopez 15/1
3 3Elizar (FR) Trevor McCarthy 117 Christophe Clement 5/1
4 4Rod Two Rod (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate J. D. Acosta 117 Bernardo G. Lopez 12/1
5 5Wow Whata Summer (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Tyler Conner 122 James L. Lawrence, II 8/1
6 6Main Event (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Eric Cancel 117 George Weaver 5/2
7 7Uncle Irish (MD) Jaime Rodriguez 117 Jamie Ness 12/1
8 8King of Hollywood (KY) Mychel J. Sanchez 117 Gregory D. Sacco 12/1
9 9Tommy Bee (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Angel Suarez 119 Brad H. Cox 3/1


Entries: Delaware Oaks (G3)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 02, 2022, Race 6

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 3:00 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Republique (KY) Tyler Conner 116 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 4/1
2 2Midnight Stroll (FL) Eric Cancel 116 John P. Terranova, II 9/2
3 3Shotgun Hottie (KY) Trevor McCarthy 116 William E. Morey 5/2
4 4Chardonnay (KY) Jaime Rodriguez 116 Michael Stidham 6/1
5 5Morning Matcha (PA) Carol Cedeno 120 Robert E. Reid, Jr. 6/1
6 6Sandstone (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Angel Suarez 116 Wayne M. Catalano 6/1
7 7Unadulterated (KY) Feargal Lynch 116 Brittany T. Russell 10/1
8 8Frippet (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate UNKNOWN 116 Jonathan Thomas 12/1