Forever Souper. (Jerry Dzierwinski/MJC)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Live Oak Plantation homebred Forever Souper, third as the favorite in his previous two starts, rediscovered his multiple stakes-winning form with a popular front-running 4 ¾-length triumph in Sunday’s listed $100,000 Prince George’s County at Laurel Park.
Forever Souper ($3.60) completed 1 1/8 miles over a firm Kelso turf course in 1:46.27 under jockey Mychel Sanchez to earn his seventh lifetime win and third in a stakes following Gulfstream Park’s Sunshine Turf and Tampa Bay Downs’ Turf Classic over the winter against fellow Florida-breds.
“This horse has just done so good for us,” winning trainer Michael Trombetta said. “We had him last summer at Monmouth, he won a few races. Then we went to South Florida, and he won a few stakes down there. He’s just held his form so good. He’s had a couple of races where he didn’t have the best of racing luck, but other than that he’s about as genuine as could be.”
Forever Souper and Sanchez took control of the race early breaking from inside his three rivals, going in 24.40 seconds for a quarter-mile pressed by Grade 1 winner Highland Chief. Forever Souper went a half in 48 seconds and began to gain separation rounding the far turn as Highland Chief was urged to keep up and fend off stablemate Hardspun Reason as well as late running The Addison Pour.
Sanchez wrapped up on Forever Souper approaching the finish line while Highland Chief held second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of The Addison Pour with another half-length back to Hardspun Reason. Stellar Lute, Wow Whata Summer, Eldest Son and main-track-only entrant Ain’t Da Beer Cold were scratched.
“It just kind of worked out that way,” Trombetta said of the front-running tactics. “None of the other horses had a whole lot of speed and having the rail draw I told Mychel that unless something goes wrong, he’s going to be in control so just do the best you can with that, and that’s exactly what happened.”
