Souper Spectacular Wins Again

Souper Spectacular, a half-brother to Zenyatta, picked up his third consecutive victory with a neck score in the first race at Aqueduct on Sunday.

Looking to remain unbeaten on the turf, Souper Spectacular raced outside of horses in third through six furlongs in 1:13.22, came under a drive turning for home, and dug in to hold off Carson Hall, who finished a head in front of third-place finisher Center Divider.

“Ultimately I think this horse is going to be better-suited going a mile and an eighth and beyond,” said Seth Benzel, who trains Souper Spectacular for Live Oak Plantation. “I thought this race would challenge him. Not only did he go up against a nice group of horses, but he also had to deal with tight turns and a distance that was a little short for him. I think all of that made him dig deep and step out of his comfort zone.”

After opening his career with a fourth and a sixth on the dirt, Souper Spectacular broke his maiden by two lengths on the grass at Saratoga on September 4, and followed suited with a 1 ½-length triumph in a Keeneland turf allowance on October 10.

“With him being by Giant’s Causeway, I knew that it was a possibility he could end up on the turf,” said Benzel. “Obviously we were hoping he’d be a dirt horse. I think we gave him ample opportunity to take to the dirt. We felt that in his race at Monmouth that not only did he get into a lot of trouble at the beginning but that he also struggled with the surface. That’s when we decided to move him to the turf, and we haven’t looked back ever since.”

Immediate plans for Souper Spectacular, purchased for $1.15 million as a yearling, are nebulous, but Benzel believes bigger things are to come for the 3-year-old chestnut colt.

“We find ourselves with a horse who has put three strong performances together,” said Benzel. “At the same time I think we are still dealing with his maturity and his development. I think this horse next year is going to take us to some pretty nice races, so we just have to get him back to the barn and make sure he comes out of it healthy, and then we’ll look at what’s out there.”

In addition to Zenyatta, Souper Spectacular is a half-brother to Balance, a three-time Grade 1 winner whose first foal sold for $4.2 million as a yearling at Keeneland this September.