Souper Escape tries for Trillium repeat

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Maryland shipper Souper Escape will try to win the Grade 3, $150,000 Trillium Stakes for the second year in a row on Saturday at Woodbine when she takes on seven other fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles.

Souper Escape and her owner, Live Oak Plantation, both won Sovereign Awards last year, Souper Escape for champion older main-track female and Live Oak for outstanding owner.

Souper Escape made her third start of 2020 in July in last year’s Trillium, winning it easily in front-running style with a career-high 96 Beyer Speed Figure. She doubled up on the turnback to sevenfurlongs in another Tapeta stakes here in August, the Grade 3 Seaway, before tailing off in the fall.

Trained by Mike Trombetta, Souper Escape is returning from a seven-month layoff after working regularly on Tapeta at the Fair Hill Training Center. Luis Contreras will ride the 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, who was bred in Florida by Live Oak Stud.

Merveilleux also is returning from a seven-month absence. She came close to garnering Canadian champion 3-yearold filly honors in 2020, losing the Sovereign in a tight vote to Curlin’s Voyage.

After ending up third to Curlin’s Voyage in the 2020 Woodbine Oaks, Merveilleux was a troubled sixth in the Queen’s Plate before taking the Wonder Where Stakes on turf and the Ontario Damsel Stakes on the Tapeta.

Merveilleux has worked 15 times since March, including a solo five-eighths in 59.20 seconds on June 12, the second fastest of 81 drills at the distance. In her first start of 2020 last June, she won a 1 1/16mile allowance.

“It would have been nice to get a start into her, but she’s doing really well,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “She grew and filled out over the winter. I think she looks better than ever right now. She’s trained well enough, so hopefully she’s tight enough to go 1 1/16 miles first crack. She was ready last year. Obviously, this is a different kind of company.”

Justin Stein inherits the mount on Merveilleux from Rafael Hernandez, who has been sidelined with an injury but should be back in action next week.

Heavenly Curlin was unbeaten in three Tapeta starts here last year for trainer Mark Casse. After graduating in July, she won an allowance off a three-month layoff before taking the Grade 3 Maple Leaf at 1 1/4 miles in November with a 90 Beyer. Her two-race winter campaign in a pair of graded turf stakes at Gulfstream was a bust.

Casse also entered Crystal Glacier and Skygaze. Both were allowance winners over the winter on the shiny new Tapeta surface at Turfway.

Rounding out the field are Red Cabernet, Royal Wedding, and Brassy.

Post time for Saturday’s 10-race card is 1:20 p.m.