Pace makes the race, and Forever Souper controlled things from start to finish in Sunday’s $100,000 Prince George’s County for 3-year-olds and upward traveling 1 1/8 miles on turf at Laurel Park. The Prince George’s County was one of three stakes on the program along with the Jameela for fillies and mares and the Ben’s Cat for 3-year-olds and upward. Both the Jameela and Ben’s Cat were restricted to Maryland-bred or sired performers at six furlongs on turf. After Stellar Lute, Wow Whatasummer, Eldest Son and main-track-only entrant Ain’t Da Beer Cold all scratched, the Prince George’s County was reduced to four horses. There was no speed on paper and jockey Mychel Sanchez immediately placed favored Forever Souper up top with Grade 1 winner Highland Chief in closest attendance through fractions of 24.40, 48.00 and 1:11.64. Sanchez asked his mount for a little bit more inside the quarter pole, and Forever Souper drew away to score by a comfortable 4 3/4 lengths in 1:46.27 over the firm turf. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Highland Chief, who eased in slightly turning into the stretch and bounced into both The Addison Pour and Hardspun Reason, stayed on for second. The Addison Pour edged out Hardspun Reason for third. Highland Chief survived claims of foul lodged by the jockeys of both The Addison Pour and Hardspun Reason. Forever Souper paid $3.60 to win. “Having the rail draw, I told Mychel that unless something goes wrong, I mean, he’s going to be in control,” trainer Michael Trombetta said in a post-race interview broadcast by the Maryland Jockey Club. A 5-year-old homebred gelding owned by Live Oak Plantation, Forever Souper is by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of multiple stakes-placed turf performer Mighty Souper, and hails from the female family of multiple Grade 1 winner Lakeway. Forever Souper has won 7 of 16 starts for lifetime earnings of $352,255. Earlier this year, he notched the Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream on Jan. 21, and the Turf Classic at Tampa Bay on March 24. Both of those races were restricted to horses bred in Florida. He then placed in two open stakes races when third as the favorite in both Laurel’s Henry Clark on April 20 and Monmouth’s Cliff Hanger on May 25. “He’s held his form so good,” Trombetta added. “He’s had a couple of races where he didn’t have the best of racing luck. Other than that, he’s about as genuine as can be.” *** Ben’s Cat Trainer Nolan Ramsey earned his first career stakes victory when odds-on favorite Whenigettoheaven grinded past Tidewater to take the Ben’s Cat. Nolan Ramsey trains Whenigettoheaven for his grandfather Ken Ramsey, who won four Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner with his late wife Sarah. Ken Ramsey claimed Whenigettoheaven for the $62,500 claiming option at Gulfstream on March 1. After making one start there four weeks later for trainer Saffie Joseph, Whenigettoheaven was transferred to Nolan Ramsey, who saddled the 5-year-old gelding to a pacetracking victory in a second-level allowance at Laurel on June 7. “Good claim, this winner,” Nolan Ramsey said in a post-race interview broadcast by the Maryland Jockey Club. “He’s really come into form for us. A very nice horse. Perfect ride. We knew we were coming [to Maryland], so [we kept] an eye out for some Maryland-breds. He had some back class.” Whenigettoheaven broke sharp under jockey J G Torrealba but was immediately confronted from the outside by Tidewater and Sheldon Russell. Fearing a speed duel, Torrealba allowed Tidewater the lead, and eased Whenigettoheaven to the outside for a clear run. Tidewater put down fractions of 22.68 and 45.36 seconds, began his sprint turning into the long stretch and tried very hard, but Whenigettoheaven eventually got past him to triumph by a neck in 1:08.26. Great Idea finished another two lengths back in third. Mission Man, Had to Have Him, Matta, Sue Loves Barbados, Tiz No Clown and Bump N Run completed the order of finish. Johnyzfromalbany, Arden’sluckytobe and Witty all scratched. Whenigettoheaven paid $3.40 to win. A son of Street Magician bred by R Larry Johnson, Whenigettoheaven has won 5 times from 21 starts for earnings of $280,665. He finished third in last fall’s Maryland Million Sprint when campaigning for his breeder and trainer Michael Trombetta. *** Jameela Alla Breve rallied from off the pace to nip Hollywood Walk in the $75,000 Jameela. Trained by Michael Matz, Alla Breve didn’t break the best, but she saved valuable ground entering the turn as Maryland-bred champion Bosserati sped to the lead through a quick opening quarter of 22.94 seconds. Bosserati, who broke through the gate prior to the start and had to be reloaded, maintained the advantage over paceprompting race favorite Kissed by Fire after a half-mile in 45.95 but was swarmed by several challengers midway through the long Laurel stretch.   Hollywood Walk sat a second-over trip under Mychel Sanchez and eventually grinded past Bosserati inside the final sixteenth, but she was immediately threatened by Alla Breve, who had gradually eased to the far outside under Horacio Karamanos. Despite hopping back to her left lead, Alla Breve rolled under the line a head better than Hollywood Walk after 1:09.15. Alla Breve returned $17.80 to win as the fifth choice in the betting. Bosserati stayed on to finish a game third, a neck behind Hollywood Walk. Then came Speightful Six, One Silk Stocking, Circle Home, Kissed by Fire, Money’s Worth, Bay Street and Double Fireball. Royal Whisper and Mattitude scratched. Alla Breve is a 4-year-old filly by Mendelssohn from the family of champion Epitome. Bred by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds, she was purchased by Greg and Caroline Bentley’s Runnymoore Racing for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling sale in 2021. Alla Breve has won 4 of 10 starts for earnings of $169,120. She won her Jameela prep, a first-level allowance traveling 5 1/2 furlongs over the Laurel lawn on June 14. That was her first race after a six-month break. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.