Souper Survivor, fresh off a decisive first stakes score, eyes an encore in Sunday’s $150,000 Frost King, a seven-furlong main track event for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds, at Woodbine. Trained by Bill Tharrenos for owners Racing Canada, Inc., and Natural Eight Stable, the son of Souper Speedy out of the Rockport Harbor mare Bear’s Kitty Kitty was a cut above five foes in last month’s Bull Page Stakes, a 6 ½-furlong main track tilt for Ontario-sired 2-year-old colts and geldings, on Sept. 13.
Souper Survivor, the 1-5 choice, faced a stern test turning for home before separating from the field with an explosive turn of foot to win by 5 ¼ lengths.
“He’s a smart individual,” praised Tharrenos. “He keeps his head on straight and he brings his A-game every time. I don’t have to do anything special to him.”
The bay colt, bred by John Carey, broke his maiden first time out on July 12 at Woodbine. The convincing 10 ¼-length tally over 5 ½ furlongs earned Souper Survivor a promotion to the Simcoe Stakes, where he finished third.
“He’s only run three times, but he’s won two of the three,” said Tharrenos, of his young charge who has amassed $114,308 in purse earnings. “He just wasn’t quite right in the Simcoe. I do think he’s a better horse than what he showed, and he’s really maturing into himself right now.
“He’s just a happy-go-lucky kid, and he’s really excited.”
Tharrenos is expecting another strong showing in the Frost King, not only from Souper Survivor, but also from stablemate Signature Winner. “He’s [Souper Survivor] going to be up for a challenge. There’s another speed horse in the race, Marvellous Marvin, that’s quite quick. But I’m not going to count my other horse, Signature Winner, out either. He won by four lengths last time, but I think he’s even better than he ran.”
A son of Signature Red out of the Midnight Lute mare Wild Lute, Signature Winner, a picked up that maiden win on Oct. 1, travelling seven furlongs on the main track in 1:25.10.
“I’ll tell you, he’s going to finish. He is going to finish. I think he’s going into this race better than he did when he broke his maiden.”
The bay colt, bred by (the late) Howard Walton and owned by Six Brothers Stable, finds himself on familiar grounds for his stakes debut. “The distance might suit him better than anybody,” continued Tharrenos. “He’s got that big, long stride to him and I’m excited to watch what’s going to happen in that last eighth of a mile in this race. I think two or three of them are going to be really pouring it on. I don’t think anybody’s going to be widening on anybody.”
Tina Wilcox is the groom for both Signature Winner and Souper Survivor.
Recent works: Souper Survivor took to the main track for a pair of breezes following the Bull Page.
On Oct. 3, he travelled five furlongs in 1:02.00. Eight days later, he covered the same distance in 1:01.20.
“Souper Survivor is training really well. He had a great work – nice and easy. I think he’ll get the distance. We freshened him up a bit, which I really like. He’s doing really well.”
Signature Winner worked on Sept. 6, breezing four furlongs over the main track in :48.20.
“Just give him a little air to make him happy and keep him focused on what we’re doing.”
Fast facts: Frost King won stakes races in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta and competed at many of the leading tracks in the U.S., winning stakes at Keeneland and Chicago’s Sportsman’s Park and placing in major events in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan. In 1981, at age 3, Frost King represented Canada in the inaugural running of the Japan Cup, finishing second. He was Canada’s champion 3-year-old in 1981, and the following year was named Horse of the Year, champion grass horse and older horse. During a 55-start career, he was never worse than third on 40 occasions. Of his 27 victories, 21 came in stakes races.
Wagering menu for the Frost King: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 8-9-10) / $1 Swinger.
Field for the Frost King
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – It Wasn’t a Bluff – Desean Bynoe – Devon Gittens
2 – Marvellous Marvin – Fraser Aebly – Darwin Banach
3 – Souper Survivor – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Bill Tharrenos
4 – Magical Trickster – Pietro Moran – Julia Carey
5 – Signature Winner – Eswan Flores – Bill Tharrenos
6 – Slovan – Christoff Douglas – Anthony Husbands
Stunningly Perfect winning the Victorian Queen Stakes on September 13. (Michael Burns Photo)
Stunningly Perfect, trained by Steven Chircop for Zilli Racing Stables, will chase her third consecutive victory when she goes postward in Sunday’s $150,000 South Ocean, a seven-furlong test for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies, at Woodbine.
Sired by Perfect Timber out of the Uncle Mo mare Uncle’s Gem, Stunningly Perfect debuted with a hearty runner-up effort to now stablemate Awesome Grace on July 26.
Her unbeaten stretch began next time out with a 7 ½-length triumph against a scratch-shortened field in a six-furlong main track fixture for 2-year-old Ontario-sired fillies, on Aug. 23.
Chircop was proud of the effort she put forth, especially after having to revise his plans heading into the race. “Before she broke her maiden, I was trying to stretch her out on the turf a little bit, which is what she’s bred for. The race didn’t go, so we ended up sprinting on the Poly, but the horse has got a lot of stamina, and she’s bred for it.”
Despite the disruption to Chircop’s initial plan, Stunningly Perfect proved worthy of stepping up to stakes company in her next start. That came in the $150,000 Victorian Queen, a 6 ½-furlong contest for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies, which she captured by 1 ½ lengths on Sept. 13 at Woodbine.
Stunningly Perfect’s early results have offered plenty of encouragement, with more upside to uncover.
“It’s been a little bit hard to tell her last couple of races,” said Chircop. “One’s [maiden win] scratched down to a three-horse field and then the incident (Sarayu, the 2-5 choice, ducked and lost her rider at the start) in the Victorian Queen. Regardless, she almost has a perfect record. She got beaten by a neck in first start by a horse that we won with [Awesome Grace]. It’s hard to knock her young career.”
Chircop believes the best is yet to come for Stunningly Perfect. “She’s a bit of a two-year-old for sure. I think she’s getting better with more experience. She trains forward, and she’s aggressive but when she runs, she’s a kind horse to ride, so you can place her where you need to be.
“With more experience, the more she’s putting it together.”
The dark bay brings a record of 2-1-0 from three starts, along with $105,458 in purse earnings, into the South Ocean. Bred by Charles Fipke, Stunningly Perfect was a $2,500 purchase at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. Ershell Lewin is the groom.
Recent works: Stunningly Perfect covered four panels in :47.60 over the main track on Oct. 9 in preparation for the South Ocean.
“We tried to work her the week before, and she wheeled, and got loose and ran around the track. Thankfully, she was okay. That’s why she’s only gotten one work in between.
“I put my exercise rider back on her, someone who knows the horse pretty well, and she worked really well, galloped out really good. We were quite happy.”
Fast facts: South Ocean, who went on to become a top broodmare, took the 1969 Yearling Sales Stakes and won the premier race for fillies in 1970, the Canadian Oaks, defeating future Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer, Fanfreluche. Her two-year race record consisted of 22 starts with 17 top three finishes and purse earnings of $70,147.
Wagering menu for the South Ocean: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / $1 Swinger.
Field for the South Ocean
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Whitemudwest – Rafael Hernandez – Todd Kettleson
2 – Stunningly Perfect – Jose Campos – Steven Chircop
3 – Sarayu – Pietro Moran – Jamie Begg
4 – Tea Biscuit – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Rachel Halden
5 – Tweeternity – Eswan Flores – Steve Bryant
6 – Champagne Sunday – Skye Chernetz – Dave Cotey
7 – Matoaka – Xarel Forde – Carlos Grant
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