Fair Grounds Notes: Black Gold Carries Over Into Sunday Afternoon Card

By Ryan Martin —-

BLACK GOLD CARRIES OVER INTO FAIR GROUNDS’ SUNDAY AFTERNOON CARD

NEW ORLEANS (January 13, 2018) – A total of $177,036 will carry over into the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ Black Gold, a bet which pays out the entire pool only if there is a single winning ticket.

Racing action resumes at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Sunday, Jan. 14 at 1:00 PM central time. The Black Gold will begin in Race 5 which has a scheduled post time of 3:05 PM central time.

Barn Notes:

SEEKING THE SOUL LOGS PENULTIMATE WORK FOR GRADE I PEGASUS WORLD CUP

Grade I $16 million Pegasus World Cup contender Seeking The Soul continued preparations for the lucrative event on the morning of Saturday, January 13 with a five-furlong drill in 1:00.40, which was the second fastest of 60 moves at the distance.

Owned by Charles Fipke, the son of Perfect Soul (Ire) went out second set for trainer Dallas Stewart and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.00.

“We’re really happy with him,” Stewart said of the work. “He went well, he came back great and looked sharp. We’re getting ready to march on and get ready. When you’re two weeks out you want to get a good work in him and the next one, we’ll just go slower.”

Stewart went on to say that Seeking The Soul would record one final move next weekend before shipping out to South Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Seeking The Soul made his last start in the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25, which he won by a half-length over Gr. II Jim Dandy winner Good Samaritan as well as Grade I winners Hoppertunity and Diversify.

In other local Pegasus World Cup related news, likely Horse of the Year Gun Runner is slated to record his final Fair Grounds breeze on Sunday morning prior to the first race, which has a scheduled post time of 1:00 PM central time. The Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Classic winner will have his last workout before the Pegasus World Cup over the Gulfstream Park main track the following Sunday.

Other notable moves on the Saturday morning work tab include Stonestreet Stables’ Valadorna, who recorded her first serious workout after a victory in the Tiffany Lass Stakes on Dec. 26. The daughter of Curlin went a half-mile in :49.00 for trainer Mark Casse and is scheduled to make her next start in the Gr. III $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston on Sunday, Jan. 28. Carl Moore’s three-time graded stakes winning mare Finley’sluckycharm also worked a half-mile. The 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy went the distance in :50.00 for trainer Bret Calhoun and has not started since a ninth-place finish in the Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Valene Farms’ graded stakes-placed 3-year-old Givemeaminit worked a half-mile in :48.60, which was the fourth fastest of 111 works at the distance for trainer Dallas Stewart. Will Kari’s Texas-bred winner of the Letellier Memorial Stakes, She’s Pretty Lucky went a half-mile in :50.60 for trainer Eddie Kenneally. Godolphin LLC’s royally-bred Stellar Moon went a half-mile in :48.80 for trainer Mike Stidham. The daughter of Tapit out of three-time Grade I winner Stellar Jayne will entered in an allowance event at the Fair Grounds on Friday, Jan. 19.