BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Souper Williwaw had finished behind fellow Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Zonda three times previously but was the best of the pair Saturday in the $98,000 Violet Stakes on the Monmouth Park turf. In a field reduced by six scratches, Souper Williwaw earned her first black-type victory as Souper Zonda finished second among the five fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, who went a mile-and-a-sixteenth.
Souper Zonda led by a length ahead of City Girl (Fr) through quarter-mile splits of :23.16 and :47.67 on the turf rated good as Souper Williwaw and jockey Charlie Marquez maintained a stalking trip on the rail in third. City Girl went at Souper Zonda around the turn and Souper Williwaw dropped back to fourth on the inside of Mischief in Motion, also owned by Live Oak Plantation.
City Girl put a head in front of Souper Zonda at the top of the stretch while Marquez took Souper Williwaw to the far outside to launch her assault. They were three across the track with a furlong to run then Souper Williwaw put away her two rivals while drifting out. Souper Williwaw won by two-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:44.80. Souper Zonda was second, two-and-three-quarter lengths faster than City Girl in third. Midway Memories was fourth with Mischief in Motion fifth. Aeolian, Amalfi Drive, Long Ago (GB), Rhee Wall, Shore War and Unreasonable (Ire) were scratched.
Souper Williwaw paid $12.60 to win and the $1 Live Oak exacta paid $21.60.
Souper Zonda and Souper Williwaw first met in the $125,000 Tropical Park Oaks (Listed) on the Gulfstream Park turf in December, finishing fourth and fifth respectively behind winner Distino d’Oro. They hooked up again next out when Souper Zonda won the $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf going a mile on the grass at Gulfstream on January 10 with Souper Williwaw fourth. They met a third time two races later on the Florida Cup card at Tampa Bay Downs on March 29 with Souper Zonda winning the $100,000 Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf going a mile-and-a-sixteenth. Souper Williwaw was fifth.
After the Distaff Turf, Souper Williwaw had one start, taking a second condition, $32,000 optional claiming by two-and-a-quarter lengths on the Delaware Park grass on June 3.
Trained by Michael Tombetta, Souper Williwaw has now won four with a second and third in 11 starts. The $60,000 winner’s check in the Violet pushed her career revenues to $176,167. The stakes victory outside Florida also garnered a $4,000 Export Incentive for breeder Live Oak Stud paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Souper Williwaw is a 4-year-old daughter of Hard Spun out of the stakes-winning Florida-bred mare Souper Striking, by Brilliant Speed. Both Brilliant Speed and Souper Striking were owned and bred in Florida by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud as was second dam Gold Empire, a winner by Empire Maker. Third dam In the Gold, by Golden Missle was a multiple graded stakes-winner for Live Oak Plantation. Souper Striking is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Holding Gold, winner of the 2017 Shakertown (G2) at Keeneland for Live Oak.
Souper Williwaw is the second foal out of Souper Striking, who has three winners from four starters and five foals. She has an unnamed yearling colt by Mendelssohn.
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