BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Forever Souper, the Florida-bred Champion Older Horse and Champion Male Turf Horse of 2024, defends his title in the $110,000 ESMARK Turf Classic on Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs Sunday. 

The ESMARK Turf Classic is one of six stakes on the Florida Cup program—all for registered Florida-breds with purses of $110,000 each, including the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore, the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies, the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf, the NYRABets Sprint and the Equistaff Sophomore Turf. Each purse includes $10,000 in bonus money for Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners. Established in 2003, this year’s Florida Cup has attracted 59 entries in the six events.

Florida Cup Day is also FTBOA Member Day in the North End tent featuring a buffet starting at 11:30 a.m. The event is free to FTBOA members with an FTBOA member card and a guest. First post is 12:15 p.m. 

Forever Souper will meet a deep field in the nine-furlong Turf Classic with five of the 12 runners being past winners of Florida Cup stakes.

In addition to Forever Souper, who set a stakes record of 1:46.87 in last year’s Turf Classic, this year’s test includes Peter D. Mattson’s homebred Drama Chorus, winner of the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race. Also entered are the last three winners of the Sophomore Turf in Crystal Quest (2024), Otago (2023) and Treasure King (2022).

 

A homebred for Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, Forever Souper was a five-time stakes winner in 2024.

Prior to taking the Turf Classic in March, he won the $95,000 Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream Park in January and later won the $96,000 Prince George’s County on the turf at Laurel in July. Trainer Michael Trombetta then switched him to the Presque Isle Downs synthetic to win the $79,000 Avery Whisman Memorial in August before setting an eight-and-a-half-furlongs track record of 1:41.23 in the $150,000 Presque Isle Mile in September.

 

He finished the year with five wins and a third in eight starts, bringing his career ledger to nine wins with a second and four thirds in 19 starts with revenues of $496,467.

A 6-year-old dark bay or brown gelding, Forever Souper is by American Pharoah out of Mighty Souper, by War Front.

He comes into Saturday off several sharp works at Gulfstream Park including a March 23 bullet five furlongs in :59.65 on the synthetic and a main track five furlongs in 1:00.05 at Gulfstream on March 16. The latter breeze was the fourth best of 20 at the distance that morning.

Paco Lopez, who rode Forever Souper in last year’s Turf Classic, takes the call from post two.

Jockey Alonso Quinonez on Drama Chorus will keep an eye on Forever Souper after breaking from his immediate right in post three.

The Tim Padilla-trained 8-year-old veteran makes his second start of the year after finishing fourth in an upper level, $100,000 optional claiming won by Signator going a mile-and-sixteenth on the Tampa Bay turf on March 2. Several Turf Classic entrants also ran including Boppy O (second), Ninja Star (seventh after being bumped at the start), and Happyisashappydoes (tenth in a troubled trip).

Drama Chorus was a wire-to-wire winner two starts back in a second level, $32,000 optional claiming going a mile on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 27, defeating Ninja Star, who was two lengths back in third.

 

Drama Chorus is by Big Drama out of Missmollybygolly, by Scat Daddy and has won 10 of 40 career starts with eight seconds and four thirds with earnings of $391,725.

Several Turf Classic starters met recently in the $75,000 Sunshine Turf going a mile-and-sixteenth on the Gulfstream synthetic on Jan. 18 including winner Ninja Star, Treasure King and Boppy O.

Trained by Kevin Rice for Donald L. Ming, Ninja Star came from six lengths back early to split rivals in the stretch and win the Sunshine Turf by a half-length. Treasure King, who was pinched back at the start, rallied from seventh to finish second. Boppy O nearly clipped heels with a rival in the stretch but persevered to come in fourth. 

 

Ninja Star is by Gary D, who stands in Florida at Ming Farms, out of Samantha Samurai, by First Samurai and was bred in Florida by Rebecca Ming.

Ninja Star will break from post 10 with Israel Rodriguez up while Boppy O has post eight and jockey Antonio Gallardo. Javier Castellano will guide Treasure King from post five.

Rounding out the field are Crystal Quest with Samuel Marin in the saddle, Leonel Reyes will ride Lord Eddard Stark, Happyisashappydoes has Willie Martinez taking the riding chores, Street Earnings and jockey Dylan Davis, Echo Lane with rider Luis Saez, Themanupfront with Marcos Meneses in the irons and Adam Beschizza will be aboard Otago.

Return to the March 28 issue of Wire to Wire