Supreme Soul locked and loaded for first win in more than a year
Published:Thursday | December 30, 2021 | 12:13 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
SUPREME SOUL, the 2019 Triple Crown winner, has a chance to score his first victory in almost 18 months, having imported BEST DAUGHTER EVER as his lone obstacle in Saturday’s Fan Appreciation Day Trophy at his favoured nine furlongs and 25 yards.
Moved to Gary Subratie’s barn last April after failing to recover the form which saw him beating the likes of talented stablemate TOONA CILIATA in the St Leger to seal the 2019 Triple Crown for Anthony Nunes, SUPREME SOUL finally made the frame in back-to-back races last month.
Throw Sunday’s Ian Levy Cup run behind FURTHER AND BEYOND out the window, a voluntary step up in class among grade-one company, an event in which his stablemate, second-place CALCULUS, was the obvious horse to be on from that barn.
Instead, take note of SUPREME SOUL’s two previous efforts, staying on for fourth behind ONEOFAKIND at a mile in the December 18 Seymour ‘Foggy’ Mullings Memorial and, prior, closing willingly into third place, beaten two and a half lengths by LABAN in a six-furlong sprint six days earlier.
Though nothing compared to his lofty heights as a three-year-old, SUPREME SOUL showed in both races that he can use what’s left of his back class to beat the right overnight allowance field, especially on the route course.
MAIN THREAT
American-bred BEST DAUGHTER EVER was unable to dominate the pace of her last two races, as she did for her three career wins, exposing her glass chin when facing matching speed. However, the five-year-old grey mare has twice won at the distance in decent times – 1:57.1 and 1:57.4 – the latter on a slow track, making her SUPREME SOUL’s main threat.
Subratie’s plan to nullify BEST DAUGHTER EVER’s speed rests with his import in the seven-horse line-up, AWESOME TREASURE, who led the ‘Foggy’ Mullings Memorial splits alongside BILLY WHIZZ into the lane with ONEOFAKIND attacking.
BEST DAUGHTER EVER straightened fifth, a length and a half ahead of SUPREME SOUL, an advantage she maintained up the straight but weakened into eighth place close home. Using his nagging stamina, SUPREME SOUL stayed on to place fourth, going by BEST DAUGHTER EVER and AWESOME TREASURE late to avoid the three-way photo for fifth to seventh place.
Sharing topweight 126lb with SUPREME SOUL, BEST DAUGHTER EVER will also have recently claimed LET HIM FLY to deal with on the lead. Despite her connections ditching Javaniel Patterson for the butcher with a riding crop, Phillip Parchment, BEST DAUGHTER EVER will find the early pace hostile and the stretch run too taxing to hold off SUPREME SOUL.