Surly Furious back home for Whisman Memorial
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Multiple stakes winner Surly Furious has earned more than $600,000 while racing at 10 tracks in six states, plus Canada. But the 7-year-old gelding has always felt at home at Presque Isle Downs, where he began his career – and where now returns to race for the first time since September 2023 in Monday’s $100,000 Avery Whisman Memorial.
Trained by Glenn Wismer and purchased for just $15,000 as a yearling by Novogratz Racing, Surly Furious brings in a record of 34-9-5-4, including six wins from 11 lifetime outings at Presque Isle. That includes victories in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Karl Boyes and the 2022 Presque Isle Mile.
Surly Furious continued to show his affinity for Tapeta surfaces while racing at Turfway Park last year, taking the 2024 Forego and Dust Commander stakes. He does come in off a win on dirt, taking an allowance in July at Canterbury Park. Gaddiel Martinez will ride.
Forever Souper and Anamnestic were one-two in last year’s edition of the Whisman Memorial. Anamnestic finished third in an allowance Wednesday at Colonial Downs and presumably will not run back Monday. That, among other things, clears the way a bit for Forever Souper, a five-time stakes winner, including last year’s Presque Isle Mile, for Mike Trombetta and Live Oak Plantation. The gelding has been consistent this year without finding the winner’s circle, most recently finishing second in an allowance at Laurel Park.
While he has won on or near the lead in other races, Forever Souper has been a bit less forward this season. That might suit both him, with Antonio Gallardo in the irons, and Surly Furious well here as this race looks to have plenty of speed.
Happyisashappydoes is coming off a front-running win in an allowance here. Drawn on the rail for the Whisman Memorial, he will likely have to hustle early. Immediately to Forever Souper’s outside is Grounded, also coming off a local allowance win on the front end.
He’s a Mess has won back-to-back races at Presque Isle, including the Hard Spun Stakes against his fellow Pennsylvania-breds, while Twilight Dancer, also entered on Monday, was second.
Regalo, a stakes winner on dirt last year, defeated Forever Souper two back on Laurel Park turf but then finished eighth at Saratoga, where he was in against solid company. Those were his first two turf starts, and he has never run on a synthetic surface.
Big to Do, also trained by Wismer for Novogratz, rounds out the field. He was cross-entered on Friday at Ellis Park, which took its entries prior to Presque Isle.
The Whisman Memorial is named in honor of Avery Whisman, who grew up in an equestrian family and began his riding career in 2018, riding mainly in the Mid-Atlantic region. He died in 2023 at the age of 23.
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