Souper Williwaw's perfect trip pays off in Violet Stakes
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Souper Williwaw made the most of a perfect ground-saving trip under Charlie Marquez on Saturday at Monmouth Park, edging away to win the $100,000 Violet Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths.
It was the 4-year-old’s first stakes victory.
Coming off a second-level allowance victory at Delaware Park in June, trainer Michael Trombetta said he entered her in stakes company only because he lacked options.
“After the race at Delaware, we tried to go back in the three-other-than allowance races in a couple places, but the races never went,” Trombetta said. “This wasn’t our first choice, but it wound up being our best choice.”
The rain at Monmouth did not end up being as severe as many expected, but the Violet field was still shortened to five on a turf course listed as good. Unreasonable, Shore War, Amalfi Drive, and Long Ago scratched, along with two main-track-only runners.
Live Oak Plantation owns three of the five horses who remained in the Violet, including the Trombetta-trained pair of Souper Williwaw and Mischief in Motion. Souper Zonda, a 4-year-old filly trained by Mark Casse, also donned the red-dotted silks and broke sharply from the rail to set the early pace in the 1 1/16-mile race.
Earlier this week, Casse said he expected his Florida-bred to make the most of her speed on the inside, and jockey Sonny Leon didn’t need any more reason to kick ahead of four rivals. The 2-1 second choice completed the opening quarter-mile in 23.16 seconds and half-mile in 47.67, while the 4-5 favorite City Girl stalked in second for trainer Chad Brown.
Souper Williwaw, content in third for most of the race, sat just behind the early leader on the backstretch. Marquez had the option of sneaking up the rail to challenge Souper Zonda in the first turn, but the jockey chose to back off and wait.
“I left it up to Charlie,” Trombetta said. “I just told him a little bit about what I know about her, and then he did the rest. He did a great job.”
City Girl, who traveled outside of Souper Zonda the entire way, made the first move on the far turn and took a short lead at the top of the stretch. Souper Zonda dug in and eventually repelled this bid, however, retaking the lead for a brief spell in midstretch.
The early leader proved stubborn against one challenge but was powerless to the next, as Souper Williwaw angled out and charged past both favorites well before the wire. She pulled clear and completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.80, paying $12.60 to win.
Souper Zonda, who soundly defeated Souper Williwaw in two statebred stakes in Florida earlier this year, was flagging but determined in the late stages, finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of City Girl. The Brown trainee has come up short in three straight starts since winning the Grade 3 Beaugay at Aqueduct in May.
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