BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Zonda tries to repeat her last out victory in the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf, this time against Grade 3 fillies and mares in Saturday’s $175,000 Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Curlin faces nine others going a mile on the turf while running for a share of $25,000 from the Florida-bred Incentive Fund included in the purse.

Facing Florida-breds going a mile in the $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare turf, Souper Zonda and jockey Tyler Gaffalione gave Rugelach a three-and-a-half-length cushion in the first half-mile while lurking from second. They began to inch closer around the second turn then pounced on the leader in deep stretch to win by a half length.

In three starts last year, Souper Zonda faced Listed stakes fillies twice, finishing fourth in the $125,000 Tropical Park Oaks at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on December 13 at Gulfstream after finishing out of the money in the Ontario Damsel on all-weather main track at Woodbine in October. She won against non-winners of two, $50,000 optional claiming fillies going a mile on the turf at Woodbine in August 2.

Souper Zonda is out of Zonda, by Scat Daddy and has won three of seven lifetime starts while banking $125,782.

Javier Castellano will be aboard Saturday and they will start from post two. Souper Zonda is listed at 12-1 in the program.

Lush Lips (GB), winner of the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup going nine furlongs on the turf at Keeneland in October, is the morning line favorite at 2-1. In one start since, the Brendan Walsh-trained daughter of Ten Sovereigns (Ire) won the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Churchill Downs grass on Nov. 28.

Lush Lips has earned $918,760 having won five of 11 career starts and will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione from post nine.

The second choice at 5-2 in the program is the Jose D’Angelo-trained Crevalle d’Oro, winner of the $150,000 Suwanee River (Listed) going a mile in December and more recently second to Destino d’Oro in the $490,500 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational over a mile-and-a-sixteenth on January 24, both at Gulfstream.

Crevalle d’Oro has. Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle for the first time and they have drawn post 10.

Also in the lineup are Silver Moonlight with Flavien Prat in the irons, John Velazquez rides Classic Q, Fantastic Fame and jockey Joel Rosario, Gata Brazil will have Edgard Zayas up, Luis Saez takes the reins on Movin’ On Up, Queens Command (Ire) will be ridden by David Egan and Dylan Davis is named on Public Defender.

Return to the February 27 issue of Wire to Wire