ELMONT, N.Y. - Souper Sensational encountered some traffic trouble when she finished fourth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles Stakes nine weeks ago at Churchill Downs. On Saturday, she utilized a clear, albeit wide, trip to score an authoritative 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park. Ova Charged, part of the early pace, finished second by two lengths over Inject. Red Ghost was fourth, followed by Miss Brazil and Australasia, the 3-2 favorite, who was basically eased by jockey Joel Rosario. It was Australasia’s first career defeat after winning her first six starts. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The win was the third from seven starts for Souper Sensational, her first in a graded stakes. As a 2-year-old, Souper Sensational won the Glorious Song over Woodbine’s synthetic surface. The early part of her 3-year-old season was spent seeing if Souper Sensational could stretch out around two turns and be a Kentucky Oaks type. She placed in a pair two-turn stakes, but it was ultimately decided to aim for the Eight Belles, a seven-furlong race on the Oaks undercard. Souper Sensational finished fourth under John Velazquez but with an excuse, according to trainer Mark Casse. “Johnny said he got stopped, he felt like she could have been right there,” Casse said. “But she probably is just a really good come-from-behind sprinter.” Velazquez was committed to ride Red Ghost in the Victory Ride. Flavien Prat, in from California for the two Grade 1 turf stakes on the Belmont card, picked up the mount. :: Get DRF Betting Strategies for exclusive analysis and wager recommendations from our expert handicappers. Though Souper Sensational got away last, Prat kept her fifth of six down the backside as a three-ply duel began to develop between Miss Brazil, Ova Charged and Red Ghost. The opening quarter was 22.81 seconds. Red Ghost was the first to retreat while Miss Brazil kept going alongside Ova Charged. Meanwhile, Prat swung Souper Sensational out wide around the turn and when she got in the clear, she motored toward the leaders. Just as Ova Charged was overtaking Miss Brazil in upper stretch, Souper Sensational blew by them both and drew clear for the convincing score. “She was traveling well and when I got her in the clear, she really kicked on well,” Prat said. Souper Sensational, a daughter of Curlin owned and bred by Live Oak Plantation, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.79 and returned $13.80 to win. “She looked like she got away just a little slow, but with a half-mile or maybe five-eighths to go it looked like we were going to be tough,” Casse said. “They were rolling.” Casse said Souper Sensational would head up to Saratoga on Sunday and be pointed to the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 7.