Fair Grounds Barn Notes: Thursday, February 1, 2018

By Ryan Martin —-

Stewart Looks Ahead With Seeking The Soul, Forever Unbridled Could Return To Work Tab Soon
• Monomoy Girl ‘On Target’ For Rachel Alexandra

Dallas Stewart; File Photo

STEWART LOOKS AHEAD WITH SEEKING THE SOUL, FOREVER UNBRIDLED COULD RETURN TO WORK TAB SOON

Trainer Dallas Stewart was pleased with the fifth-place effort from Seeking the Soul in Saturday’s Grade I Pegasus World Cup – which was won by 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner – and stated that the $12 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) on Mar. 31 was not out of the realm of possibility for the Charles Fipke-owned son of Perfect Soul (Ire.).

“He looks good and we’re really happy with him,” Stewart said. “It was a very tough race, a lot of champions in there. We’ll figure out where we’ll plot our next course and go from there…We’ll look at Dubai; we could possibly look that way.”

Stewart also went on to discuss 2017 Champion Older Dirt Mare Forever Unbridled, winner of last year’s Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar, and could return to the work tab at some point in the near future. Also owned by Fipke, the 6-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song has not breezed since Dec. 11, where she went a half-mile in :50.40.

“(She is) training well so we’ll probably have plans to work her pretty soon,” Stewart said. “We’ll try to get a game plan of where we’ll come with her. She’s nominated to the Dubai (World) Cup and there are a lot of options on the table. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

Meanwhile, Stewart’s graded stakes-placed 3-year-old Givemeaminit secured his first career victory on Sunday afternoon when breaking his maiden over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots main track against fellow Louisiana-breds. The Valene Farms –owned son of Star Guitar’s career debut took place in a Saratoga maiden special weight where he was second before a third-place effort in the in Saratoga’s Gr. I Hopeful Stakes, both of which were won by Sporting Chance. Givemeaminit then began taking shots at the Road To The Kentucky Derby in the Gr. I Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (fifth), the Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (fourth) and the Gr. II Kentucky Jockey Club (eighth). Stewart is planning on putting Givemeaminit back on the Road To The Kentucky Derby and his next start could take place in the Gr. II $400,000 Risen Star (50-20-10-5) on Feb. 17.

“We started off in a maiden race and he ran big and then we went to the Hopeful and he ran big so we just kind of stayed with that,” Stewart said. “He ran big in the Breeders’ Cup so this was a plan that I had to get a win today and then hopefully do it the right way and maybe we can run him in the Risen Star and the (Gr. II $1 million) Louisiana Derby (on Mar.24, 100-50-20-10). We put the blinkers on to focus him up and it looked like he did what we wanted him to.”

Three races later, Stewart scored another maiden victory with West Point Thoroughbreds’ Saints’ Girl. The 3-year-old daughter of Overanalyze will likely make her next start in against allowance company.

“We’ll take our time with her, she’s still young,” Stewart said.

MONOMOY GIRL ‘ON TARGET’ FOR RACHEL ALEXANDRA

Trainer Brad Cox has the Gr. II $200,000 Rachel Alexandra in mind for Michael Dubb and Monomoy Stables LLC’s Monomoy Girl, whose recent work was a five-furlong bullet in 1:00.00 on Monday morning.

Last time out, the 3-year-old daughter of Tapizar was handed her first loss when finishing second behind Road To Victory in the Gr. II Golden Rod at Churchill Downs in November.

“She’s come along real well,” Cox said. “We gave her a little break after the Golden Rod. The Rachel (Alexandra) was kind of in the plan all winter and she had a fantastic work on Monday. She came out in good shape, right now she’ll probably have two more works and then she’ll be on target for the Rachel.”

On Sunday, Cox sent John Gunther’s Tiger Moth to Sam Houston where she took the Gr. III Houston Ladies Classic.

“She came out well,” Cox said. “She’ll go back to the track (Friday) and probably run in the (Gr. II $350,000) Azeri (at Oaklawn Park on Mar. 17).”