BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Souper Forces used his patented late run and good supply of tenacity to put a nose in front of Intellect at the finish to win the $175,000 Artie Schiller at Belmont Park Friday. A homebred for FTBOA Hall of Fame member Charlotte Weber and her Live Oak Plantation, Souper Forces won his second consecutive and third career stakes in defeating eight other 3-year-olds and older going a mile on the turf.
Ulta-consistent, Souper Forces earned $96,250 to push his career revenues to $268,800 from five wins and a second in seven starts.
With the out-of-state victory in the stakes, Souper Forces also takes down a $4,000 Export Incentive for Live Oak Stud as breeder paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Jockey Antonio Fresu was in no rush on Souper Forces early as they had one horse beat while racing six lengths off leader Sounds Like a Plan down the backstretch. Sounds Like a Plan set quarter-mile splits of :23.69, :46.60 and went six furlongs in 1:09.64, hitting the top of the stretch with a length lead as Souper Forces had just started his rally on the far outside. Intellect suddenly appeared from between horses midstretch and with Souper Forces jumped to the front inside the final furlong. Intellect held a narrow advantage until the final strides when Souper Forces pushed his nose in front under the wire to win in 1:33.02. Intellect was second with Capitol Hill Third.
Souper Forces paid $14.42 to win.
Souper Forces won the $108,000 Red Bank last out going a mile on the turf at Monmouth Park in his second start of 2026. He was second to Florida-bred Spirited Sol in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming on synthetic at Presque Isle Downs on July 28 in his first race more than seven months.
Souper Forces won his first three career starts last year, culminating with the $75,000 Showing Up going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf at Gulfstream Park on November 1. In his only finish out of the top two, he was sixth, but just two-and-a-half lengths behind winner Layabout, in the $125,000 Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream on December 13.
By Laoban, Souper Forces is 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.
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