Tag: Racing

Souper Escape Is Super In Second Trillium Win At Woodbine

Defending champion Souper Escape just held off Crystal Glacier at the wire to win the $150,000 Grade 3 Trillium Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack.

It was a 1-2 finish for Sovereign Award-winning owner Live Oak Plantation, which also bred the winner.

Jockey Luis Contreras was aboard Souper Escape for her front-running journey in the 1-1/16-mile main track feature for fillies and mares 4 years old and up.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Canada's reigning Champion Older Main Track Female was sharp leaving the gate and quickly established the lead into the first turn. She clocked fractions of :24.24 for the quarter-mile, :48.42 at the half-mile mark, and 1:11.54 for three quarters while turning back the stalking Red Cabernet.

Souper Escape continued to lead the way into the stretch, with Skygaze looming outside of Merveilleux. However, Crystal Glacier, who followed the leader throughout, proved to be the biggest threat with a late lunge down the lane to make it into the win photo under Kazushi Kimura.

“It was close, but I thought I had a pretty good chance to win the race,” said Contreras after getting the nod in the photo finish. The winning time was 1:43.12.

“By the way my filly was acting in the post parade, I knew she was going to be sharp. So I knew she was going to be on the lead no matter what. I was just trying to make her relax to have some horse at the end.”

The five-year-old Medaglia d'Oro-Cry and Catch Me mare, who won the Trillium and seven-furlong Grade 3 Seaway Stakes in back-to-back fashion last summer at Woodbine, improved her lifetime record to 7-2-3 from 20 starts.

Souper Escape paid $9.20, $4.40, and $3.80 across the board for winning her season's debut. She combined with the favored Crystal Glacier ($3.70, $2.80) for a 2-1 exacta that returned $30.10 for a $2 ticket. Skygaze ($4) finished 2-1/4 lengths behind in third.

Mark Casse trainees finished second through fourth, with Heavenly Curlin closing from the backfield to complete the superfecta. Merveilleux was fifth, with Royal Wedding, Brassy, and Red Cabernet completing the order.

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Maxfield Gives Godolphin Another Stakes Win In Stephen Foster

Earlier today, the blue silks of Godolphin came home first at the Curragh in County Kildaire, Ireland, with Hurricane Lane dashing to the lead in the final furlong to win the Group 1 Irish Derby. Hours later, clad in the same Godolphin blue, Jose Ortiz guided Maxfield to an easy win in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., clinching a guaranteed spot in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in Del Mar, Ca. in November.

Starting from post eight in a field of nine, Maxfield broke clean, content to sit midpack as Empty Tomb took the early lead with Claiborne Farm's Sprawl just behind him, Necker Island in third. In the backstretch, Maxfield was sixth, Empty Tomb and Sprawl still running one-two, but, as the field entered the final turn, Sprawl took over the lead and Ortiz put Maxfield in gear. Around the turn, Maxfield picked off horses, overtaking Sprawl as their field entered the stretch. From there, Maxfield drew away, increasing his advantage to three and a quarter lengths as he hit the wire. Behind him, Warrior's Charge passed Sprawl in the stretch to take second place, with Sprawl holding onto third and South Bend fourth. The time for the mile and an eight was 1:48.53.

Find this race's chart here. 

Maxfield paid $2.80, $2.20, and $2.10. Warrior's Charge paid $5.00 and $3.60. Sprawl paid $4.20 to show.

The G2 Stephen Foster Stakes is a Win and You're In race on the road to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6. Winning horses receive a free and guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

Bred and owned by Godolphin, Maxfield was sired by 2007 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the Bernadini mare Velvety. Saturday's win gives Maxfield his third victory in four starts in 2021 and his seventh win in eight lifetime starts, with career earnings of $776,640. His other 2021 wins include the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.

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Set Piece Rallies From Back of The Pack To Win Wise Dan Stakes At Churchill Downs

Weaving through horses like a car on a busy freeway, Florent Geroux moved Juddmonte's Set Piece from near the back of the ten-horse field to catch Somelikeithotbrown in the stretch and win the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes by a half-length at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. On a firm turf course, Set Piece overcame a disadvantageous start to find a hole on the hedge and pull out the win for trainer Brad Cox, who was leading all trainers going into the spring meet's final day.

At the start, Set Piece, breaking from post one, found himself squeezed back to next to last when several horses came over to find running positions for the first half of the race. Somelikeithotbrown, fresh off his winning performance in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes on Pimlico's Preakness Stakes undercard, took the lead, with a half length back to Field Pass in second and then another two lengths back to Mutakatif in third.

Somelikeithotbrown maintained that lead through the stretch as Geroux moved Set Piece through the middle of the field, going first to the middle of the pack and then ducking to the inside of Mutakatif to take advantage of space on the hedge. Set Piece accelerated, closing the gap between him and Somelikeithotbrown. Jose Ortiz got Somelikeithotbrown to rally and try to hold off Set Piece, but the Juddmonte gelding was too much for the son of Big Brown. Set Piece passed Somelikeithotbrown in the race's final yards, hitting the wire a half-length in front. The time for the mile and a sixteenth G2 Wise Dan was 1:40.50.

Find this race's chart here.

Set Piece paid $5.40, $3.40, and $2.40. Somelikeithotbrown paid $3.80 and $2.80. Ride a Comet paid $3.00 to show.

Owned and bred by Juddmonte Farm, Set Piece was sired by Dansili out of Portodora, by King Mambo. His win in the G2 Wise Dan Stakes is his third win in five starts this year, with two other wins at Churchill Downs, the Douglas Park Overnight Stakes and the Opening Verse Overnight Stakes. Set Piece has nine wins in 16 lifetime starts for earnings of $300,996.

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