BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Quest continued his trend of winning every other race Sunday at Keeneland as the Florida-bred colt took a $101,373 allowance race while leading from flag to finish.
Ridden by Davie, Fla., native Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Mark Casse, a lifelong Ocala Fla., resident, Souper Quest set the pace after breaking from his inside post in the grassy five-furlong test for non-winners of a graded stakes on turf. He was pushed along by Crocodilehunter and jockey Alonso Quinonez as those two clicked off quarter-mile fractions of :20.94 and :43.59 while heads apart on the firm turf.
But Souper Quest began to get the advantage in the run for home as Crocodilehunter surrendered and eventual runner-up Mounsieur Coco began to make up ground. Souper Quest hit the wire a length in front in a time of 1:01.95 while Mounsieur Coco nosed-out third-place finisher Bal a Kazoo. No Nay Hudson (Ire), Chiseler, Crocodilehunter and Hidden Path completed the order of finish.
Souper Quest paid $4.20 to win while favored at slightly better than even money.
It was the third win in five starts for Souper Quest, who broke his maiden by five-and-a-quarter lengths in his first start sprinting five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 8.
After a seven-month break, the bay son of Munnings returned against allowance horses going five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on July 27. He led throughout before being caught by winner Sosua Summer and finished second by a half-length.
He then won an allowance race over a yielding five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on Aug. 26 against before finishing third in his previous race in the $153,000 Da Hoss won by Nobals at five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Colonial Downs on Sept. 9.
Souper Quest is out of Lady of Victory, by War Front and has now earned $186,042.
