Souper Sensational

A wide-open field of 13 sophomore filly sprinters will line up for Saturday's GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. 'TDN Rising Star' Souper Sensational (Curlin) enters in good form in her last three starts since receiving a freshening. A powerful winner of Belmont's GIII Victory Ride S. July 10, the Live Oak colorbearer followed with a second-place finish behind likely GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint second choice Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) in the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 7 and repeated that same position behind the streaking...

Heavily favored on the morning line, Live Oak Plantation's GI Longines Test S. runner-up Souper Sensational (Curlin) will likely need to run that race or better as she faces an intriguing field of emerging sophomore filly sprinters in Saturday's GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' for an easy debut graduation last September at Woodbine, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy quickly backed that designation up with a four-length conquest of the Glorious Song S. Runner-up in the Silverbulletday S., she fell off the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks...

'TDN Rising Star' Souper Sensational (Curlin), a jaw-dropping winner of her first two career starts last fall at Woodbine, got back on track in a big way with a dominating performance in Saturday's GIII Victory Ride S. at Belmont. Outfooted through fractions of :22.81 and :45.68, she was locked and loaded in fifth beneath Flavien Prat approaching the quarter pole, and exploded with a four/five-wide blitz from there to record a career high. The chestnut went winless in four previous starts at three after capping her 2-year-old campaign with a...

In his early days in the Thoroughbred business, Hanzly Albina served the Foustok family's Buckram Oak Farm as assistant farm manager and later managed Four Roses Thoroughbreds for the same operation. "As a young person in the business, you don't get to do a lot, but you get to study a lot," Albina recollects. The horseman is now applying that and other knowledge he's acquired over the years as an advisor to Maurice and Samantha Regan's Newtown Anner Stud, the breeders of 'TDN Rising Star' and GII Rachel Alexandra S....

With the year having just begun, it will take a while for the picture for the GI Kentucky Oaks to come into focus. For now, the fillies who thrived last year dominate this Top 10 list, but that can, and likely will, change as the calendar works its way toward the first Friday in May and new names emerge in the major preps for the Oaks. It is, at the very least, a solid group, headed by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist, who will be named the champion...

Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational (Curlin), a 'TDN Rising Star' and dominant last-out stakes winner, will take some beating as a likely prohibitive favorite making her graded stakes bow in Sunday's GIII Mazarine S. at Woodbine. Unveiled as a 6-5 favorite traveling seven furlongs here Sept. 26, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase notched a handy 2 1/4-length success over a runner-up who was another 9 3/4 lengths clear of third. Hammered down to 3-5 stepping up into stakes company in the Glorious Song S. Oct. 17, the chestnut did not...

'TDN Rising Star' Souper Sensational (Curlin) made it two wins from as many trips to the races with a highly impressive victory in Saturday's Glorious Song S. at Woodbine. Favored at 3-5 to add to a facile 2 1/4-length debut success in a salty local maiden Sept. 26, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate was outfooted early, but mustered speed up the inside to lead prior to the entrance to the turn. Skipping along nicely into the final two furlongs despite some pressure to her outside, Souper Sensational pinched a winning...

Sent off the 1.35-1 favorite in what appeared to be an above-average Woodbine maiden Saturday afternoon, Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational (Curlin) lived up to her name at first asking, pulling confidently clear to graduate by a bit more than two lengths in a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy performance. Beaten for speed, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad sat the box seat from third, but traveled nicely on the bridle, with her chief market rival-'Rising Star' Shirl's Speight's full-sister Speightstown Shirl (Speightstown)--lapped to her outside. The Fipke homebred got first run on...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency CURLIN FILLIES CLASH 3rd-BEL, 63K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, post time: 2:04 p.m. EDT This loaded maiden has some of the best pedigrees in the stud book represented, starting with Chad Brown's AMERICAN WEST (Curlin), whose GIII-winning dam is a half-sister to leading second-crop sire Constitution (Tapit). Granddam Baffled (Distorted Humor) had a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro sell in Book 1 last week at Keeneland September, who hammered to Whisper Hill Farm for $1.1 million. American West was a $925,000 purchase herself last year...