BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Forever Souper will attempt his sixth stakes victory of the year Saturday as the 3-1 program favorite in the CA$175,000 HIPbet Autumn (Grade 2) at Woodbine. The Autumn was originally scheduled to be run last Saturday, but was postponed when the card was cancelled after eight races due to safety concerns.
Florida-bred Forever Souper carries a three-race win streak into the Autumn, all in stakes, and is among a dozen 3-year-olds and older who are set to go a mile-and-an-eighth on the all-weather main track in the Autumn.
Forever Souper won the Prince George’s County going nine furlongs on the Laurel Park grass on July 14 then won his next two on the synthetic main track at Presque Isle Downs. He took the $79,000 Avery Whisman Memorial by two-and-a-half lengths going a mile-and-70-yards on Aug. 12 then set a track record while winning the $150,000 Presque Isle Mile on Sept. 20, covering the mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:41.23.
Forever Souper started the year winning two stakes against Florida-breds in the $95,000 Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 21 and in the $100,000 ESMARK Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs on March 24.
He has won five of seven races this year with both losses coming when third in stakes after encountering traffic problems. His career ledger has nine wins in 18 starts with a second and four thirds and earnings of $490,255.
Forever Souper is by American Pharoah out of Mighty Souper, by War Front and will be ridden from the outside post 12 by Ruben Hernandez.
Looking for his third stakes victory this year at Woodbine is Paramount Prince from the barn of trainer Mark Casse.
The quick 4-year-old gelding won the Grade 3 Dominion Day by nearly four lengths going nine furlongs on June 29 and the Grade 2 Seagram’s Cup by five-and-a-half lengths at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on July 27. In one race since, he was fifth behind winner and Autumn Days rival Dresden Row in the Grade 3 Durham Cup going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Woodbine on Sept. 28.
Paramount Prince is owned by Michael J. Langlois and Gary Barber and has won six with two seconds and three thirds in 13 lifetime races while earning $845,786.
Patrick Husbands will ride Paramount Prince from post seven and they are 7-2 on the morning line.
Since taking the Durham Cup, Dresden Row also won the Grade 3 Ontario Derby at a mile-and-an-eighth at Woodbine on Oct. 19.
Trained by Lorne Richards for True North Stable and Jeffrey Bloom’s Bloom Racing Stable, Dresden Row has won five of eight career starts with a second and two thirds and purse earnings of $242,431.
Ryan Munger will ride Dresden Row from post 11 and they are 8-1 on the morning line.
Completing the entries for the Autumn Days are Artie’s Storm and jockey David Moran, Tosen Wish (Ire) with Sahin Civaci named to ride, Wicked Django will have Keveh Nicholls in the saddle, Sir London has Oisin Murphy taking the call, Jose Campos rides Stanley House, War Bomber (Ire) and jockey Sofia Vives, Lac Macaza will have Fraser Aebly in the irons, Never Surprised has Austin Adams taking the call and Rajiv Maragh rides Bail Us Out.
