June, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Wow Whata Summer Out To Prove He’s No Fluke In Saturday’s Kent Stakes

Jeremy Brooks' Wow Whata Summer will be looking to prove that his recent upset victory versus graded competition was a not a fluke when he meets seven rivals in the $200,000, Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile and an eighth grass stake for 3-year-olds has been carded as the seventh race on the card with an approximate post time of 3:30pm.

In his last outing, Wow Whata Summer returned $168.80 after a posting a 1 ½-length triumph against seven foes in the one mile $400,000 Penn Mile over the Penn National turf course on June 3. In his only other outing this season, the home-bred son of Summer Front finished third in a 5-½ furlong turf allowance at Laurel Park on April 23. Last year, the Kentucky-bred trained by James Lawrence 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.

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

“Even going into the Penn Mile, we knew he had the ability,” said trainer James Lawrence. “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.”

Since his last outing, he has been training steadily at his home base at the Fair Hill Training Center. In his most recent work, he breezed six furlongs in 1:12.60 on the all-weather training course on June 23.

“He had a great breeze last week,” said trainer James Lawrence. “His jockey Tyler Connor breezed him and he said that he had plenty in the tank. I am sure there will be some tough ones coming in from out of town, but we are going to come ready to play.”

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,” said trainer James Lawrence. “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.”

$200,000 Grade III Kent Stakes

For 3-year-olds

at a mile-and-an-eighth (turf)

#	HORSE	OWNER	TRAINER	JOCKEY	Wg	OD
1	Speaking Scout	Eclipse Thoroughbred	H. Graham Motion	Feargal Lynch	119	4-1
2	XY Time	Gelfenstein Farm	Bernardo Lopez	J D Acosta	117	15-1
3	Elizar	Madaket, Dubb Morris	Christophe Clement	Trevor McCarthy	117	4-1
4	Rod Two Rod (MTO)	Gelfenstein Farm	Bernardo Lopez	J D Acosta	117	12-1
5	Wow What a Summer	Jeremy Brooks	James Lawrence II	Tyler Conner	122	10-1
6	Main Event	Harrell Ventures	George Weaver	Eric Cancel	117	2-1
7	Uncle Irish	Kernan & Jagger	Jamie Ness	Jaime Rodriguez	117	12-1
8	King of Hollywood	MonmouthStud & Pinnacle	Gregory Sacco	Mychel Sanchez	117	12-1
9	Tommy Bee	LaPenta & Madaket	Brad Cox	Angel Suarez	119	3-1

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Rodolphe Brisset Will Take Over Training Duties At WinStar; Destin Heath Heads Out On His Own

Rodolphe Brisset has been hired as the new head trainer for WinStar Farm, according to bloodhorse.com. The French native will oversee the horses at the WinStar training center, 20 stalls at Keeneland on Rice Road, and 12 stalls at Saratoga this summer.

Brisset has trained for WinStar since the beginning of his career, helping with the early training of horses like Justify.

“We have had a change in direction for the farm and decided to focus more on Kentucky racing with our horses, so we hired Rodolphe to come to the training center at WinStar Farm,” WinStar president, CEO, and racing manager Elliott Walden told bloodhorse.com. “We will race off the training center, similar to how Graham Motion does at the Fair Hill Training Center and Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs.”

Walden added that WinStar will continue to employ the services of outside trainers, as well.

Meanwhile, eight-year WinStar veteran Destin Heath, who took over the head training job from Richard Budge in October of 2018, will prepare to begin training under his own name.

“It has been a great opportunity to be at WinStar, and I'm very grateful for the people, horses, and the relationships I was able to develop while I was there,” Heath told bloodhorse.com. “It was a steppingstone to give me the confidence to go on and do my own thing, eventually under my own banner.”

Churchill Downs: No Turf Racing For Closing Weekend Stakes

Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have opted to suspend racing over the Matt Winn Turf Course for four stakes events on Saturday and Sunday to allow the root system on the new course to continue to develop.

Racing on turf at Churchill Downs was initially paused June 11 with hope for a possible return on closing weekend of the Spring Meet.

The decision to cease was made following turf training over the seven-furlong grass oval Tuesday.

“The root system for the new Bermuda-hybrid continues to mature each day and its development has benefited from the warm climate and 2 ½-week rest, but it's not where we want it to be just yet,” said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. “Additional time is needed for the course to become more robust and we'll give it time.”

The $350,000 Wise Dan (Grade 2) for older horses, which was scheduled for Saturday at 1 1/16 miles on turf, will be put on hiatus for 2022.

The three other stakes will be run over their published distances and transferred from turf to the main dirt track: Saturday's $200,000 American Derby (Listed) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; Saturday's $200,000 Tepin for 3-year-old fillies at one mile; and Sunday's $160,000 Anchorage Overnight Stakes for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up, at one mile.

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No Turf Racing Closing Weekend at Churchill; Wise Dan Cancelled

Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have opted to suspend racing over the Matt Winn Turf Course for four stakes events on Saturday and Sunday “to allow the root system on the new course to continue to develop”, the track said in a release..

Racing on turf at Churchill Downs was initially paused June 11 with hope for a possible return on closing weekend of the Spring Meet. The decision to cease was made following turf training over the seven-furlong grass oval Tuesday.

“The root system for the new Bermuda-hybrid continues to mature each day and its development has benefited from the warm climate and 2 1/2-week rest, but it's not where we want it to be just yet,” said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. “Additional time is needed for the course to become more robust and we'll give it time.”

The $350,000 GII Wise Dan S. for older horses, which was scheduled for Saturday at 1 1/16 miles on turf, will be put on hiatus for 2022. The three other stakes will be run over their published distances and transferred from turf to the main dirt track: Saturday's $200,000 American Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; Saturday's $200,000 Tepin for 3-year-old fillies at one mile; and Sunday's $160,000 Anchorage Overnight for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up, at one mile.

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