Casse looks to double up in overnight handicaps
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse is hoping it will be Souper Saturday at Gulfstream Park when he sends out key contenders Souper Quest and Souper Zonda in the afternoon’s co-features, the Chasing Artie and Daring Kathy handicaps. The two $60,000 overnight events, to be decided at five furlongs and 1 1/16 miles, respectively, on the turf, drew full and well-matched fields with little separating the highweights from the lows in both races.
Souper Quest returns to the Gulfstream turf for the first time since finishing seventh in the Silks Run on March 7. He is coming off a second-place finish in the Da Hoss Stakes last month at Colonial Downs and will share top weight of 123 pounds in the Chasing Artie along with Mattingly.
“He ran really well in his last start and likes the course, although these five-furlong turf races are so tricky,” Casse said. “It’s all about speed and trips.”
Mattingly exits his best effort this season, a come-from-behind neck victory four weeks ago in the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint, a race switched to the Tapeta course. In his most recent start on grass, Mattingly finished a late-running and close third behind his Joe Orseno-trained stablemate Extendo and the speedy Rouki under similar overnight handicap conditions Aug. 9.
Both Extendo and Rouki are among the dozen entered for the Chasing Artie. Both of those horses, along with likely pacesetter Esperon, have been assigned 122 pounds. A solid case also can be made for the graded stakes-placed Axthelm, despite returning from a 14-month hiatus, and Itza Boss, who switches back to his preferred surface off a fifth-place finish in the Umphrey.
Like her stablemate, Souper Zonda will go postward as the co-highweight under 123 pounds in the Daring Kathy, which attracted 11 entries and looms no less a handicapping challenge.
Souper Zonda has held her form nicely all season for Casse, having won 4 of 6 starts, including the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf for statebreds over this course in her 2026 debut. She also comes back to South Florida off a solid second-place finish in Monmouth Park’s Violet decided over a good course on Aug. 22.
“She’s very consistent, and I think she prefers a little firmer going. I think the ground might have been a little bit too soft for her liking when she got caught at Monmouth,” Casse advised.
Souper Zonda shares topweight along with the trio of Vincey Girl, Miss Mary Nell, and Fantasy Performer.
Vincey Girl is getting significant class relief after finishing off the board against Grade 2 opposition in both the Yellow Ribbon and John C. Mabee stakes this summer at Del Mar. Those two outings were the first on grass for the Jose D’Angelo-trained filly, who is already a stakes winner on dirt and Tapeta.
“She had bad luck in both her turf races in California, and I think she has a big chance against this field coming back home on Saturday,” D’Angelo said.
Miss Mary Nell and Fantasy Performer return to turf after finishing first and second, respectively, less than a length apart, in the Ginger Punch, a race switched from grass to Tapeta on Sept. 12.
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