Souper Success faced tough rivals in seasonal debut

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Key-race aficionados should be salivating over Souper Success in Thursday’s featured sixth race at Woodbine, a $40,000 claimer for 3-year-olds and up.

Souper Success took the Woodstock Stakes here in his 2019 season debut, the highlight of his career. The 6-year-old was mired in a slump before beating $20,000 claimers last Nov. 12. He went on to run second as the pacesetter for $40,000 on Dec. 3, while posting an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We had a little issue with him that we straightened out,” trainer Mike DePaulo said. “The day he won for $20,000 he was like a different horse, and then he came back and ran good for $40,000.”

Souper Success ran into two buzzsaws in his season debut in a $20,000 starter handicap. Sent off at 7-2, he mounted a belated wide bid over an inside-favoring track to finish fourth behind Elektronic, who subsequently doubled up in an allowance with a 92 Beyer. Runner-up Fielder came back to beat a solid group of $25,000 claimers.

Souper Success breezed five-eighths in a bullet 1:00 on the training track last Thursday. In a field without much speed, Gary Boulanger figures to put him on the lead through moderate fractions.

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The six-furlong sprint attracted eight others, including Striking Moon, Dotted Line, Timeskip, and Speedy Hans.

Striking Moon is dropping from second-level allowance company for his second start off the sidelines and has a chance to end his slide. He was fourth behind the likes of Clayton, Artie, and Lenny K while earning back-to-back 84 Beyers in his two outings last fall.

Steven Bahen will get a leg up on Striking Moon from Ian Howard, who trains the 5-year-old for a partnership that includes his son Chris, the longtime equestrian operations manager for Evergate Stables.

Dotted Line won a seven-furlong event for $40,000 claimers with an 83 Beyer on Nov. 11, after which he wound up eighth in the Steady Growth Stakes. The classy 5-year-old has worked encouragingly for his first start in 5 1/2 months, but trainer Sid Attard has low numbers with layoff runners.

Timeskip had a productive 2020 campaign for trainer Renee Kierans, which included consecutive thirds in graded stakes, but he had just a third-place finish to his credit from six starts last year. He raced wide throughout when seventh in his last race in the restricted Steady Growth, from which runner-up Full Extreme exited to beat $40,000 opposition.

Speedy Hans was claimed for $40,000 by trainer Mike Mattine last September, and the stretch-runner failed to fire in three subsequent optional claimers. The move back down to $40,000 could enable him to round out one of the exotic wagers.

Post time for Thursday’s seven-race card is 1:10 p.m.