Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Souper Sensational faces new challenges in Silverbulletday
The idea to give Souper Sensational her two-turn debut in the Mazarine Stakes on Dec. 5 ended with the premature conclusion of Woodbine’s race meet because of a COVID-19 lockdown and the Mazarine’s cancellation.
Souper Sensational debuted Sept. 26 at Woodbine with a sharp seven-furlong maiden score and came back about a month later to win the $125,000 Glorious Song over the same distance by four lengths, posting a lofty 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
Instead of staying home at Woodbine and continuing to race over the Tapeta Footings main track there, Souper Sensational tries dirt and two turns for the first time in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
“Now I have to ask her two questions instead of one,” said Mark Casse, who trains Souper Sensational for owner Live Oak Plantation.
Souper Sensational drew the rail for the mile and 70-yard Silverbulletday, and despite being 13-10 in her debut win and a 3-5 favorite in the Glorious Song, she might only be second choice Saturday. Drawn on the outside of a nine-horse field is Sun Path, a Juddmonte Farms homebred who’s the likely favorite after an easy secondstart maiden win at Churchill Downs and a blowout first-level allowance score making her two-turn debut last month at Fair Grounds. Brad Cox trains her, and Florent Geroux rides.
Cox also entered Fair Grounds maiden winner Divine Comedy. Moon Swag, Charlie’s Penny, Minute Waltz, Princess Theorem, Barista, and Littlestitious make up the remainder of the field.
Souper Sensational has been at Fair Grounds since late
November and has posted six published workouts over the dirt track.
“She’s trained as good as a horse can train on the dirt there,” Casse said. “I’m not really worried about her getting over the dirt.”
Racing a route of ground could pose the greater challenge. Souper Sensational is by Curlin, a sire who provides stamina, but is out of a mare by Indian Charlie, which “can sometimes limit their distance,” Casse said. The filly, too, is of modest scope, though she does not appear speed-crazy nor give any obvious indication she’ll struggle to get a middle distance around two turns. And even if Souper Sensational doesn’t truly want to route, she still can race competitively.
“Some horses can be so talented it doesn’t matter,” Casse said.
Game Day Play tries Lecomte
Silver Dust, who won the Grade 3 Mineshaft last February at Fair Grounds, worked a half-mile Saturday, his first breeze since a 30-day winter freshening. His Bret Calhountrained stablemate By My Standards, who won the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic this past March, got 45 days of farm rest and is due to return to Calhoun’s barn sometime this week.
Both older horses ended their 2020 seasons with a whimper, and Calhoun hopes that Game Day Play, a member of the 3-year-old class of 2021, can start his campaign with a bang Saturday in the Lecomte Stakes.
The Grade 2, $200,000 Lecomte is the headliner on a six-stakes, 13-race card Jan. 16 and is the first of two local prep races for the $1 million Louisiana Derby in March.
Game Day Play is one of 11 entered in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte, which could have Mandaloun as a favorite. Three entrants, however, could be scratched: Beep Beep and Manor House are cross-entered in a Saturday allowance race, while Dyn O Mite is uncertain to run.
As for Game Day Play, he was supposed to have started Dec. 18 in the Springboard Mile at Remington Park after winning the Clever Trevor there Oct. 30. The Springboard was on a Friday and Calhoun said the Remington track surface froze and was closed for training three days early that week, leaving Game Day Play very sharp when he was led over to race. A loud noise startled him, Game Day Play acted up and got loose, and was scratched before saddling.
“I was sick,” Calhoun said. “I felt really good about him there.”
Game Day Play makes his two-turn debut Saturday, though he might have run close to a mile in the one-turn, seven-furlong Clever Trevor, so wide was he caught on the turn. That marked Game Day Play’s second win, following an August maiden score where he beat Super Stock, who went on to finish third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity.
“Now we’ve got a longer period between races and he’s going farther, so there are a lot of questions, but this horse is interesting,” said Calhoun. “I like the way he’s worked down here.”
Silver Dust ran well throughout 2020 until the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, where he was 10th with no apparent excuse. If all goes well, he might be ready to start late this Fair Grounds meet, but By My Standards, who won the Oaklawn Handicap and the Alysheba and was second in the Grade 1 Whitney after leaving New Orleans last year, probably won’t be set to race until April or May.
◗ The featured second race Thursday reprises the Louisiana Champions Day Turf, won by Ninety One Assault, who will be favored in this Louisianabred turf allowance. Speedy Pound for Pound has a chance at an upset while making his second career turf start as the temporary turf rail comes down, opening fresh ground along the inside of the course.