Late Night Pow Pow extends her streak in What a Summer Stakes

Breeze Easy LLC’s Grade 3 winner Late Night Pow Wow earned a return trip to graded stakes competition by galloping to her eighth consecutive victory in Saturday’s $100,000 What a Summer at Laurel Park.

The 33rd running of the six-furlong What a Summer was the first of four $100,000 stakes on a nine-race program and led off 65 stakes, 13 graded, worth $9.2 million in purses on the schedule in Maryland through mid-October.

Facing just four rivals following scratches of multiple stakes winner Limited View and potential pacesetter She’s Stunning, Late Night Pow Wow ($2.40) was in control throughout under regular rider Freddy Peltroche to win by 6 ¼ lengths.

Javier Contreras-trained stablemate Divine Mischief outran Behrink’s Bank to be second, with multiple stakes winner Moonlit Song fourth. The winning time was 1:09.27 over a fast main track.

It was the fifth consecutive stakes victory for Late Night Pow Wow including the Charles Town Oaks (G3) last fall, third straight against open company and second in a row over Laurel’s main track for the West Virginia-bred, who Contreras plans to bring back in the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 16 as part of Laurel’s Winter Carnival.

“She’s pretty special. Not too many horses do that kind of stuff. She’s very special to us,” Contreras said. “We’re aiming for the Barbara Fritchie next month, and hopefully we can get the same results.”

Breaking from the rail after originally drawing Post 2, Late Night Pow Wow matched strides early with Behrink’s Bank, who held a short lead after a quarter-mile in 22.49 seconds. Peltroche calmly assumed the top spot on the far turn and let his 4-year-old mare open up through the stretch, going a half in 45.69 and five furlongs in 57.54.

“She’s very good in the gate and she broke very good and she relaxed,” Peltroche said. “The horse has a lot of speed to go in front, so I wait to the stretch. The horse got to the stretch and changed leads and everything was good. Not too many questions. It was an easy race for the filly today.”

Late Night Pow Wow has won 10 of 11 career starts, her only loss coming when she ran second in her stakes debut last April at Charles Town. Her victory in the Willa On the Move Stakes Nov. 24 at Laurel was the first away from her home track. The daughter of Fiber Sonde saw her bankroll grow to $469,400.