BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Forces has used his late running style to produce his two career stakes victories and looks likely to exercise that form again Friday in the $175,000 Artie Schiller going a mile on the turf at Belmont Park. The Michael Trombetta-trained Florida-bred is rated at 6-1 in the program among the nine 3-year-olds and older set to go one mile on the turf.
His Late TimeformUS of 111 is tops among the contenders with Capitol Hill, who also has a Late TimeformUS of 111.
A victory in the out-of-state affair by Souper Forces would also produce a $4,000 Export Incentive for Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Hall of Fame member Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud as breeder of the 4-year-old gelding. The Export Incentives are paid directly by the FTBOA.
Souper Forces goes for his second straight stakes victory at the distance on grass after winning the $108,000 Red Bank at Monmouth Park on September 6. Ridden by Carlos Marquez, he swung wide for the stretch run and won willingly. It followed a July 28 effort on the Presque Isle Downs synthetic surface, where he closed well in a six-furlong, upper tier, $62,500 optional claiming but was outkicked by Florida-bred Spirited Sol to finish second.
Souper Forces won his first three career starts last year, starting with an off-the-pace victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight on synthetic at Presque Isle Downs in August. He repeated that form in a non-winners of two allowance going a mile on the lawn at Colonial Downs in September then took the $75,000 Showing Up going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass at Gulfstream Park on November 1.
His only finish out of the top two came when sixth in the $125,000 Tropical Park Derby (Listed), again at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Gulfstream turf, but he finished just two-and-a-quarter lengths behind winner Layabout after racing wide in both turns.
Souper Forces has four wins and a second in six starts with earnings of $172,550. He is by Laoban out of American Giant, by More Than Ready.
Antonio Fresu will ride Souper Forces for the first time and they will start from post seven. Souper Forces is 6-1 on the morning line.
Bill Mott trains Capitol Hill, who seeks his first career stakes victory but won his last race going a mile on the inner turf at Saratoga in an upper level, $110,000 optional claiming.
Capitol Hill has been close in several stakes, however, missing by a nose when second to Pass the Hat in this year’s Poker (G3) going a mile on the turf at Saratoga on June 7; second to Salamis in last year’s $150 Gio Ponti during on the inner turf at Aqueduct during the Belmont at Big A meet in September of last year; and second to Zulu Kingdom (Ire) in the Manila (G3) on the inner turf at Saratoga in July of last year.
Capitol Hill has won four of 14 career races with three seconds and has proceeds of $411,032 for owner Tranquility Lake Farms.
Capitol Hill is 9-2 in the program and will be guided by Junior Alvarado from post three.
Trainer Chad Brown will saddle Intellect (Fr), a stakes winner in his native France, for the Artie Schiller.
Intellect took the 2024 Prix Francis de Luze at Le Bouscat and that year’s Prix du Pont Neuf at Longchamp in France before coming to Brown’s barn in New York in early 2025.
He was second in the Poker (G3), Kelso (G3) and FanDuel Fourstardave (G1), all going a mile on the turf at Saratoga in June, July and August last year respectively, but did not break through with a victory until winning his last race. He won a second condition, $80,000 optional claiming by three-and-a-half lengths at Saratoga on August 14.
Intellect (Fr) has a career mark of four wins, eight seconds and three thirds in 17 starts with earnings of $465,715.
He is owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Steven Bouchey and will be ridden from post six by Manny Franco.
Intellect is the 3-1 morning line favorite.
Others set to line up for the Artie Schiller are Cosmic Year (GB) with jockey Dylan Davis, Silent Heart will have Jose Lezcano in the irons, Ricardo Santana Jr. has the engagement on Sounds Like A Plan, Itsallcomintogetha will have Ruben Silvera up, Javier Castellano is named on Clever Mischief and Paco Lopez has the assignment on Air Recruit.
— portions of this story were composed using Claude ai.
Return to the October 1 issue of Wire to Wire
