BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-breds Souper Zonda and Miss Mary Nell join Vincey Girl and Fantasy Performer with 123 weight assignments, tops among 11 fillies and mares entered for Saturday’s $60,000 Daring Kathy overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park. Co-featured with the $60,000 Chasing Artie overnight handicap, the Daring Kathy is scheduled for a mile-and-one-sixteenth on the turf.
A winner of three stakes versus Florida-breds among her six starts this year, all on grass, Souper Zonda returns to South Florida from Monmouth Park where the Live Oak Plantation homebred was second to Live Oak’s Souper Williwaw in the $98,000 Violet for fillies and mares going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf. Two starts back, trainer Mark Casse had the 4-year-old filly on the Colonial Downs inner turf where she led from start to finish to win a second condition, $50,000 optional claiming at the same distance.
Her stakes victories this year include the $75,000 Sunshine Turf going a mile at Gulfstream in January, the $100,000 Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff at eight-and-a-half furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs in March and the $100,000 FHBPA Filly and Mare Turf going a mile back at Gulfstream on April 25.
Bred in Florida by Live Oak Stud, Souper Zonda is by Curlin out of Zonda, by Scat Daddy and has won half of her 12 career starts with one second with earnings of $309,282.
Sonny Leon has the return mount on Souper Zonda and they have drawn post four.
Souper Zonda is 3-1 on the morning line.
A 4-year-old homebred for Palm Beach Racing, Miss Mary Nell leads the field with $390,233 in earnings after winning the $89,000 Ginger Punch going a mile-and-70 yards on the Guflstream synthetic course in her last start on September 12. More of a all-weather surface specialist over which she has won six of 13 career starts, Miss Mary Nell took the $100,000 South Beach overnight handicap at the same distance on synthetic in January at Gulfstream.
She is stakes-placed on grass, however, with a second to Turino in the $82,000 Monroe going a mile at Gulfstream in May and second to Starship Impulsive in the $75,000 Martha Washington at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Gulfstream sod in June of last year. More recently going a mile on the turf at Gulfstram on August 16, Miss Mary Nell was third in the $70,000 Frolic’s Revenge overnight handicap won by Fantasy Performer.
Miss Mary Nell is trained by Carlos David, who has given the riding assignment to Jonathan Ocasio. She has post six and is 6-1 in the program.
“She’s competitive and she runs her race every time,” David said. “It’s coming up to the winter meet so she’s just going to gear up. She’s going to have to be competitive again in this spot if she’s going to win some races in the winter.”
Miss Mary Nell is by Girvin out of Tempest’s Flash, by It’s No Joke and sports an overall record of seven wins, four seconds and four thirds in 25 outings.
Stakes-winner Let’s Go Koko is the other Florida-bred entered as she looks to improve off her fourth-place finish in the Ginger Punch.
Trained by Rory Miller, the 5-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud’s Adios Charlie is a homebred for Flying Finish Farm for whom she has banked $314,775 from nine wins, five seconds and four thirds in 30 starts.
Last year, Let’s Go Koko won the $75,000 Powder Break going a mile on the Gulfstream turf and this year was second to Souper Zonda in the Distaff Turf at Tampa Bay Downs.
She is out of Vino de Pago, by With Distinction and will be ridden from post eight by Edwin Gonzalez. They are listed at 15-1 on the morning line.
Rounding out the field are Hello Hello Hello with Micah Husbands up, jockey Rajiv Maragh teams with Turino, Oshala will have Heriberto Figueroa aboard, Samy Camacho will get the leg up on Defiant Lass, Marcos Meneses has the call on Crafty Collector, Vincey Girl has Leonel Reyes named in the program, Fantasy Performer will have Miguel Vasquez in the irons and Yolber Torres will take the reins on Janana Han.
Return to the October 9 issue of Wire to Wire
