Souper Rush tries winners after flashy debut score

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Dominant debut winner Souper Rush makes his second start in Friday’s seventh race at Woodbine, a five-furlong dash for 2-year-olds combining Ontario-sired allowance types with $40,000 claimers.

Souper Rush had worked nicely prior to his Oct. 17 opener against Ontario-sired maidens, which he won from a three-wide stalking position by 2 1/4 lengths, earning a 73 Beyer Speed Figure in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint.

Christopher Husbands retains the mount on Souper Rush for trainer Mike Mattine. The Souper Speedy gelding was a bargain $12,000 purchase by owner Stacey Van Camp at the 2020 Canadian Premier yearling sale.

Souper Rush is among a field of 10 that also includes stakes-placed Silent Runner and Drop a Caribou.

Silent Runner wound up second in each of his last two outings, in the open Ontario Racing Stakes and restricted Clarendon Stakes.

Drop a Caribou beat two next-out winners when graduating second time out on the inner turf.

Solid handle on turf races

Woodbine recently wrapped up turf racing for the meet, posting solid numbers on the 241 races contested over its two turf courses.

Races on the E.P. Taylor (main) course generated an average handle of $577,895 per race, with an average field size of 9.5. The 99 races on the inner course, which opened in June 2019, had an average handle of $459,637 and field size of 8.8.

A total of 26 stakes races were run on the main course, including six Grade 1 events. Eight stakes were run on the inner course.

“Despite our season being delayed by two months due to the pandemic, we had another terrific year of turf racing,” Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said. “We are really looking forward to starting our 2022 season on time and running the most turf races in a single season in our history. Woodbine is a premier turf destination in North America, and the best is yet to come.”

In 2019, Woodbine staged a total of 363 turf races, the most ever during a single Woodbine meet.

Highlights of the 2021 turf season included local longshot Town Cruise’s victory in the Woodbine Mile and the return of the Canadian International, captured by Walton Street, which was moved to the Sept. 18 Woodbine Mile card. Those two Grade 1 stakes produced wagering of $2.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, as part of the record handle of $13.8 million for the Woodbine Mile program.

Woodbine played host to three Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In qualifiers on turf – the Woodbine Mile, Grade 1 Natalma, and Grade 1 Summer. Natalma runner-up Pizza Bianca returned to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar for owner-breeder Bobby Flay. Summer runner-up Grafton Street subsequently ran fourth in the Grade 1 BC Juvenile Turf.