Wow Whata Summer took command of the $400,000 Grade 2 Penn Mile on the far turn and had enough stamina left to fend off favored Annapolis by 1 ¼-lengths, scoring an upset victory at odds of 83.50-to-1.
“Up until three weeks ago, the plan was to go to Pimlico, but he came up with a little cold,” Brooks said. “We loved the Penn Mile for him on the turf. We thought it was the perfect set up. Tyler just rode an amazing race and my trainer did an incredible job getting him ready for today. All the credit goes to them.”
Wow Whata Summer took control on the far turn with a quarter of a mile to race and opened a 1 ½-lead, bracing for the challenge of Todd Pletcher-trained Annapolis, the heavy 1-to-2 favorite. “In the stretch, he stumbled a little bit. It was tough for him. He ran a good race coming in off a long layoff. He did everything right. Perfect trip. Just a little too much for him,” Ortiz Jr. said.
The time of 1:42.39 for the mile over soft turf marks the slowest running of the Penn Mile, well off the stakes record of 1:33.99, set by Rydilluc in 2013 and the track record of 1:33.12, held by Thunder Brew in 2010. Five stakes supported the Penn Mile card and in the $150,000 Penn Oaks, the 4-to-5 favorite Chad Brown-trained Haughty won easily, earning the $90,000 winner’s share for her second victory in four career starts.