BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Forces went five-wide on the turn then came out the best of four contenders at the top of the stretch to handily win the $108,000 Red Bank at Monmouth Park Sunday. The 4-year-old Michael Trombetta trainee produced his second career stakes victory in a field of six 3-year-olds and older who went a mile on the turf.
In addition to earning the $60,000 first-place check, Souper Forces also banked a $4,000 Export Incentive for Live Oak Stud as breeder for the out-of-state, non-graded stakes victory. Capped at $1 million in 2026, the Export Incentive program is administered by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Souper Forces and jockey Charlie Marquez were away last from post five as J J Zo Zo jumped out to a two-length lead past the finish line for the first time. J J Zo Zo was on top through quarter-mile splits of :23.42 and :48.16 with Spellcast starting to apply pressure around the second turn when Souper Forces was still four lengths back in fifth. Marquez took Special Forces to the far outside coming out of the turn with J J Zo Zo keeping a narrow lead inside of There Are No Words and Live Oak’s Win for the Money also in contention. Souper Forces emerged from the pack a sixteenth of a mile out with There Are No Words second on the inside then drew off to win by three-and-a-half lengths in 1:39.01 on the turf rated good. There Are No Words was second, a nose faster than Win for the Money in third. J J Zo Zo, Spellcast and La Frost completed the order of finish.
Souper Forces paid $6 to win.
“The horse has been doing well,” Tombetta said. “Obviously I had my worries with the softer turf. I didn’t know how he would do with that. Heading into the first turn I think the rider was just trying to get him comfortable and find the best part of the track. It looked like he settled nicely. I guess [Marquez] felt like he had plenty of horse when it came time to running and it looks like he did.”
Souper Forces came into the Red Bank off one start in 2026, a second to Florida-bred Spirited Sol in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming going six furlongs on the synthetic course at Presque Isle Downs on July 28.
A winner of the $75,000 Showing Up on the Gulfstream grass on Nov. 1, Souper Forces finished last year running sixth, but just two-and-a-half lengths off winner Layabout in the $125,000 Tropical Park Derby (Listed) going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the same Gulfstream turf on December 13.
“He ran short last time at Presque Isle. He needed the race,” Marquez said of Souper Forces. “He closed that day too. In his past starts at Gulfstream Park he came off the pace and would make a big sweeping move. Today I knew with a smaller field I had to be a little closer, especially with the soft turf, without using him and it worked out. Around the turn, at about the three-eighths, he was taking me along. I was able to get him outside. When I got him outside he took off. He was much the best today.”
“He always shows up,” Trombetta continued. “At the end of the season last year we had to put him away for a little bit. He had some minor stuff that needed some time. It looks like he has managed to come back well.
“We’ll watch him and see where he takes us. This was a nice stepping stone for him. It was a flat mile, which is a nice distance for him coming off the break. We’ll see how he comes out of this and then see what we can get into this fall.”
Souper Forces improved his record to four wins in six lifetime starts with one second with earnings of $172,550. By Laoban, Souper Forces in the only foal out of the More Than Ready mare American Giant, a multiple stakes winner on grass with victories in the 2019 Juvenile Fillies Turf and the 2020 Cellarz Shiraz, both at Gulfstream Park West. Also a homebred for Live Oak Plantation, American Giant was a half-sister to graded stakes-placed, stakes-winner Uncle’s Gold and stakes-winner Crystal Quest.
