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Souper Success seeks stakes success in Ontario Jockey Club

June 17, 2022

TORONTO, June 16, 2022 – Michael De Paulo trainee Souper Success goes after his second career stakes score in Sunday’s $100,000 Ontario Jockey Club, at Woodbine.

An Ontario-sired event for four-year-olds and up, the Ontario Jockey Club, to be contested at six furlongs over the Toronto oval Tapeta, has attracted 10 hopefuls.

A six-year-old son of Souper Speedy-My Sweet Tooch, Souper Success heads into his latest engagement in solid form, having posted two wins, a second and a fourth in his last four starts.

Owned by Mickey Demers, the gelding notched his fifth career victory on May 19 at Woodbine, holding on gamely for a three-quarter of a length win at 6 ½-panels on the main track, in a time of 1:16.18.

“He’s doing really well,” said De Paulo, of the multiple stakes placed dark bay who won the 2019 Woodstock. “He had a really nice work (five furlongs, breezing, in :59-flat over the Woodbine dirt track on June 12). So, we’re going to take a shot. He’s turned the corner, which is good to see.”

Last season yielded an uneven campaign for Souper Success, who went 1-1-0 from eight starts. After tough early and middle stretches to the year, the dark bay rebounded with two strong efforts to end off 2021.

A 1 ½-length win at 6 ½ panels on the Woodbine main in November was followed by a strong runner-up effort in December at six furlongs to close out his five-year-old campaign.

The gelding spent his winter in Ontario at fellow trainer and owner Paul Buttigieg’s farm and made his seasonal debut at 5 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta on April 23, finishing fourth, 3 ½-lengths behind the winner.

Souper Success, bred by John Carey, heads into Sunday’s tilt off the aforementioned win at 6 ½ furlongs last month.

“I thought he ran a really good race last time and he’s come back to work well. I knew he was going to be a good horse when he was young, and he won the Woodstock when he was three. It took us a little while to get him to the races, but once he figured it out, he did it pretty quickly.”

De Paulo, who has 926 career victories, is hopeful the veteran campaigner with five wins and five seconds from 25 starts can chalk up another stakes crown this weekend.

“He’s a trier and he gives you all he’s got. We didn’t pay a lot for him ($15,000, at the 2017 CTHS Ontario Division Yearling Sale) and he’s turned out to be a good horse. I like the Souper Speedy types. They generally have no chrome, no real markings, but they all try. This horse, you wouldn’t even know he’s there. He’s a laid-back, quiet guy.”

The Ontario Jockey Club is race eight on Sunday’s 10-race card. First post time is 1:10 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

ONTARIO JOCKEY CLUB STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Candy Overload – Keveh Nicholls – Krista Cole-Simpson

2 – Secret Reserve – Kazushi Kimura – Mike Mattine

3 – Sunspear – Sahin Civaci – Ian Black

4 – Dun Drum – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ian Black

5 – Forester’s Fortune – Leo Salles – Rodney Barrow

6 – Eskiminzin – Luis Contreras – Carlos Grant

7 – Last American Exit – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller

8 – Red River Rebel – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

9 – Mason’s Gamble – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll

10 – Souper Success – Gary Boulanger – Michael De Paulo

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Chris Lomon, Woodbine Communications / @WoodbineComms

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