Souper Tapit holds off Dalmore in Millions Classic
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It may have taken a while for trainer Mark Casse to decide the surface of choice for Souper Tapit. But that question may have been solved, at least for the time being, after the Live Oak homebred overcame a wide trip to register a half-length decision over a game Jay’s Way in the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Classic, the richest of four statebred stakes races Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Souper Tapit, a nine-length winner in a race switched from turf to the main track here last month, was hung wide after breaking from the outside post in a field of eight Florida-breds to contest the 1 1/8-mile Classic. With John Velazquez aboard, Souper Tapit advanced readily three wide to stick his head in front of the pacesetting Jay’s Way entering the stretch, edged clear, then held gamely to fend off both Jay’s Way and Dalmore through the final furlong.
Jay’s Way stayed on gamely after being overtaken by the winner at the top of the stretch, holding on to be second by a neck over Dalmore. The latter, the 2-1 second choice, was eased back from inside Jay’s Way on the first turn, got shuffled a bit farther behind while steadied along near the rail in the run down the backstretch, fanned wide to launch his bid into the stretch, loomed boldly through midstretch, but hung late.
Souper Tapit is a son of Tapit out of the Grade 1-winning mare Zo Impressive and a Grade 3 winner in his own right, having captured the Marine Stakes over the artificial surface at Woodbine at 3. Now 5, Souper Tapit completed the distance in 1:50.62 and paid $5.
“He’s a horse we’ve always thought a lot of, it’s just taken forever to get his brain going,” said Casse. “I thought his last race here was very impressive, but the outside post scared me today – a lot. It put him out of the way he really wants to do things, but luckily [Dalmore] kind of got hung up some, and [Souper Tapit] was good enough to overcome it.”
Casse said while Souper Tapit is a graded stakes winner over the artificial surface and has run some big races on grass, there’s no doubt where he’ll be racing in the near future.
“He’s not bad on turf, but that being said, I’m not going back to the grass right now,” said Casse, who mentioned the Razorback at Oaklawn Park as an option for Souper Tapit’s next start.
