BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Quest and New Spice Stable LLC’s Smithwick’s Spice are set to face each other again Sunday at Monmouth Park in the $100,000 Get Serious, a five-furlong sprint on the grass for 3-year-olds and older.
In the last race for both, Florida-bred Souper Quest was second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Smithwick’s Spice in third in the $75,000 Pay Any Price overnight handicap won by Xy Speed going five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf on April 27.
That was the first race of the year for Souper Quest, who last year won two of four starts including an upper level allowance race at Keeneland in October and a first-condition allowance over a yielding turf course at Saratoga in August. He was also third in the $153,000 Da Hoss won by Nobals at Colonial Downs in September and second to Sousa Summer in a first condition allowance race at Saratoga in July, all sprinting on the turf.
Souper Quest has won half of his six lifetime starts with two seconds and a third while earning $202,042. He is by Munnings out of Lady of Victory, by War Front.
Antonio Gallardo will ride Souper Quest for trainer Mark Casse and they have post nine in the field of 11.
Smithwick’s Spice is more seasoned this year with five starts including a gate-to-wire victory in the $82,000 Turf Dash going five furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 24.
Trained by Nunn Douglas, the 8-year-old son of Frost Giant has 10 wins, 10 seconds and five thirds in 42 races with earnings of $514,867.
Smithwick’s Spice has post eight and jockey Jorge Gonzalez.
Several Get Serious contenders exit the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico on May 18 including Grooms All Bizness, Witty and Smooth B, the first three finishers respectively.
Trained by Jorge Duarte Jr. for Colts Neck Stables LLC, Grooms All Bizness also won the Get Serious last year ahead of second-place finisher and Sunday rival Our Shot.
Grooms All Bizness will be making his second start of the year after completing his 2023 campaign with a third-place finish in the $102,000 Select, won by Eamonn with Yes and Yes second.
Both Eamonn and Yes and Yes are entered in the Get Serious.
By Fed Biz and an earner of $318,775 from five wins in 13 starts with three seconds and two thirds, Grooms All Bizness will carry Fernando Jara from post two.
Eamonn has jockey Paco Lopez while Yes and Yes will race with Jose Gonzalez in the irons. Witty has Jairo Rendon named to ride, Smooth B will have Abner Adorno aboard and Our Shot has jockey Samy Camacho. Others entered include Charging with jockey Isaac Castillo, Fayathaan (Ire) and rider Samy Camacho Jr. and Axthem will have Joe Bravo in the saddle.
