Casse Making Plans for 3YOs Prospects Souper Times, La Cara

Casse Making Plans for 3YOs Prospects Souper Times, La Cara
Maragh Recalls Groupie Doll’s ‘Hall of Fame-Worthy’ Career
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $200,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Times produced a ‘bullet’ workout Thursday morning at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, where the promising 3-year-old covered four furlongs in 47.82 seconds for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The son of Not This Time, whose clocking was the fastest of 19 workouts recorded at the distance, is nominated to the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) March 1 but has been entered in an optional claiming allowance next Thursday at Gulfstream.

Souper Times is coming off a second-place finish behind the highly regarded Todd Pletcher-trained River Thames, who is being pointed to the Fountain of Youth after impressively launching his career with two dominating victories during the Championship Meet. Prior to his second-place finish on dirt, Live Oak Plantation’s $370,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga August sale had made a winning debut at a mile on turf Jan. 4 at Gulfstream.

The late-developing colt will remain on dirt in next week’s 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance.

“I’m still trying to decide if he’s a turf horse or not. We know he’s a good grass horse, but his pedigree says ‘dirt.’ We’re still trying to put the pieces together to the puzzle,” Casse said. “He’s a puzzle. I’m looking forward to the race. It’s at a mile and an eighth, which I think he’ll like. We’ll go from there.”

Dylan Davis, who has been aboard for Souper Time’s two starts, has the return mount for next Thursday’s $98,000 Race 8 feature for 3-year-olds that drew a field of eight.

Casse reported that Tracy Farmer’s La Cara is scheduled to run in the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale (G2), a mile dirt stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the Fountain of Youth undercard.

La Cara, a homebred daughter of Street Sense, who finished fifth in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar, made an eye-catching 2025 debut at Tampa Bay Downs, scoring a sharp front-running 6 ½-length victory in the Feb. 8 Suncoast.

La Cara captured the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs prior to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The Davona Dale offers 50 Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points to the winner.

Maragh Recalls Groupie Doll’s ‘Hall of Fame-Worthy’ Career

Two-time Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Groupie Doll, who closed out a spectacular career with a rousing victory in the 2014 Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream Park, joins Smarty Jones and trainer Kenny McPeek as first-time nominees to Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame. Finalists on the 2025 ballot were announced Thursday.

“She’s definitely worthy of being in the Hall of Fame based on everything she did on the racetrack. She didn’t just win one big race. She ran big races year after year,” aid jockey Rajiv Maragh Thursday at Gulfstream. “She is definitely Hall of Fame-worthy.”

Maragh rode the ultra-tough daughter of Bowman’s Band, a homebred owned by trained by William ‘Buff’ Bradley, Fred Bradley, Carl Hurst, and Brent Burns before being sold to Whisper Hill Farm prior to the 2014 Hurricane Bertie, to back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint victories at Santa Anita in 2012-2013. They also teamed for impressive scores in the Vinery (G1) at Keeneland and the Humana Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs in 2012, as well as going back-to-back in the Presque Isle Masters (G2) in 2012-2013.

Groupie Doll was the Eclipse Award Champion Female Sprinter in 2012 and 2013.

“It was the big moment of my life and my career to pair up with everybody and the horse and campaigning her through such successful seasons,” Maragh said.

In the seven-furlong Hurricane Bertie, Groupie Doll broke slowly before closing from last to win going away by seven lengths.

“It couldn’t have been a better swan song for her. She went out on the top of her game,” Maragh said.

McPeek achieved one of his first big-race successes while saddling Harlan’s Holiday for a 3 ½-length victory in the 2002 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $200,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Thursday for the third racing day following Saturday’s mandatory payout that yielded multiple jackpot payoffs of $164,292.76.

The popular multi-race wager’s jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $200,000 Friday, when first-race post time for a nine-race program is set for 12:50 p.m.

Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring a mile and 70-yard optional claiming allowance on Tapeta for Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies in Race 6. Tag Stables LLC’s Spirited Boss has been tabbed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of seven. The Jose D’Angelo-trained daughter of Steet Boss is coming off an impressive five-length maiden special weight victory Jan. 15. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount. Gustavo Delgado-trained La Giaconda, who finished a troubled fifth in the Feb. 1 Sweetest Chant, and David Carlos-trained Miss Mary Nell, a winner on turf and Tapeta, look to be the main dangers.

Who’s Hot: Jockey Edwin Gonzalez doubled on Thursday’s card aboard Esperanzito ($25.60) in Race 4 and Be Here Now ($10) in Race 7.