Horses to watch: Oaks hopeful Souper Sensational can rebound

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson will share promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.

New to the Watch List

Dream Shake

When Dream Shake rallied to victory in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Santa Anita on Sunday, his performance was largely overshadowed by the disappointing effort from 3-5 favorite Bezos, who weakened to finish seventh by a large margin.

But Dream Shake is fully deserving of credit and accolades. A first-time starter disregarded at 20-1 in the betting, Dream Shake wasn’t in any hurry to get going, falling five lengths off the pace through a slow opening quarter mile in :23.40. He didn’t stay unhurried for long though – rounding the turn, Dream Shake unleashed an eye-catching burst of acceleration to sweep past rivals and seize command. And down the lane, he poured on the speed to win by 4 3/4 lengths, stopping the timer in a quick 1:17.34.

A son of Twirling Candy out of a Street Cry mare, Dream Shake is bred to run long, so the fact he romped in his debut sprinting is exciting. You can bet expectations will be high when this Peter Eurton trainee makes his two-turn debut.

Edgeway

Did you know the only fillies to have ever defeated Edgeway are the Group 1-placed Kimari, the multiple Grade 2 winner Frank’s Rockette, and the two-time Grade 3 winner Four Graces? While Edgeway has yet to win a stakes race, the daughter of Competitive Edge has kept top-class company, and a signature victory of her own could be just around the corner.

After all, Edgeway was much the best in a six-furlong allowance race at Santa Anita on Sunday. After tracking fast fractions from third place, Edgeway was a little late changing leads in the homestretch, but drew away readily once she did. Under a hand ride, Edgeway won by three lengths in a quick 1:09.16.

Future plans for Edgeway have yet to be announced, though a race like the $300,000 Beholder Mile (G1) on March 13 could provide a lucrative opportunity to see if Edgeway can handle two turns. If she can, she’ll have plenty of racing options for the remainder of 2021.

Upcoming Entries

Danceteria

Is Danceteria an up-and-coming turf star in the making? We’ll find out when the 6-year-old gelding steps up in class for Saturday’s 11th race at Fair Grounds, the $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3, 6:16 p.m. EST).

A Group 1 winner racing 1 1/4 miles in Germany, Danceteria showed plenty of promise in his U.S. debut for trainer Graham Motion. After settling off the pace in a 1 1/8-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park, Danceteria closed furiously into fast finishing fractions, sprinting the final furlong in approximately :11 1/5 to fall less than a length short of catching wire-to-wire winner Phantom Currency.

For the Fair Grounds Stakes, Danceteria will pick up the services of Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. If Danceteria gets a quick pace to work with (certainly a possibility in this large 11-horse field), he can take a step forward and challenge for victory at a nice price.

Souper Sensational

Fresh off of being nominated to the Triple Crown, Souper Sensational will make her graded stakes debut in Saturday’s 12th race at Fair Grounds, the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2, post time 6:47 p.m. EST).

At first glance, Souper Sensational might seem overmatched while squaring off against Golden Rod (G2) 1-2 finishers Travel Column and Clairiere. After all, Souper Sensational was beaten by 3 1/4 lengths in the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds last month, and from a Brisnet Speed Rating perspective she has form to find against the favorites.

But Souper Sensational endured a pretty tough trip in the Silverbulletday. After getting bounced around in traffic on the first turn, Souper Sensational was shuffled back to last place behind slow fractions of 25.66, 49.96, and 1:14.55. Despite this challenging setup – and despite rallying wide around the far turn – Souper Sensational closed ground gamely to finish second.

This effort produced a sharp 101 Brisnet Late Pace rating, suggesting Souper Sensational could have finished closer with a more favorable setup. I’m excited to see what she can accomplish with a (presumably) cleaner journey in the Rachel Alexandra.