Multiple stakes winner Souper Diva will attempt to end a sequence of near-misses when she lines up against eight rivals in Sunday’s $150,000 Thunder Bay Stakes at Woodbine Racecourse. The six-furlong contest on the main track brings together a competitive field of Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies, with the Steven Chircop-trained runner once again expected to play a prominent role.
Thunder Bay Stakes 2026.
Souper Diva heads into the feature with one of the strongest records in the field. Trained by Steven Chircop for 6 Deep Stable, the daughter of Souper Speedy out of Secret Chords has won three of her 10 starts, finished second on four occasions and earned more than $232,000 in prize money during an admirably consistent career.
The dark bay filly has filled the runner-up position in each of her last four outings, most recently finishing second in the Georgian Bay Stakes over five furlongs on Woodbine’s inner turf in June. Although victory has narrowly escaped her during that spell, her performances have consistently demonstrated determination and reliability at stakes level.
Souper Diva made her debut at Woodbine last May before opening her winning account in her second career start with an impressive sprint success over 4½ furlongs. She quickly established herself among Canada’s leading juvenile fillies by landing consecutive stakes victories later in the season.
Her breakthrough stakes success came in the Muskoka Stakes, where she scored by an emphatic 4¼ lengths over 6½ furlongs on the main track. She followed that performance with another stakes triumph in the Victorian Queen Stakes, confirming her quality over the same distance. She later rounded off her two-year-old campaign with solid efforts in the South Ocean Stakes and the Shady Well Stakes.
Now racing as a three-year-old, Souper Diva has continued to perform at a high level despite meeting strong opposition in every appearance. Sunday’s return to six furlongs on the Woodbine main track could suit her strengths, particularly after a series of competitive efforts over shorter distances and on turf.
The filly has also maintained encouraging form in morning training, completing a sharp four-furlong workout in 47.40 seconds earlier this month as preparations continued for the Thunder Bay Stakes.
A field of nine has been declared for the feature, with Souper Diva set to break from stall four under Jose Campos. Among those looking to challenge her are Arianna’s Tour, Souper Sporty, Pageant Queen, My Turn Now, Ballet Beauty, Splash of Bourbon, Artful Diamond and Zabarta.
The Thunder Bay Stakes 2026 offers Souper Diva another opportunity to convert consistency into another black-type victory and strengthen an already impressive racing record against a talented group of rivals.
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