Clearly Now back on track

Clearly Now could only finish third in the Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds while making his first start since being privately purchased by Brittlyn Stable and moved into the barn of trainer Ron Faucheux, but the suspicion that Clearly Now raced against a bias in the Thanksgiving, and that even at age 6 he still is capable of better, was confirmed when Clearly Now won a high-end optional-claiming race on Saturday by 3 1/4 lengths.

Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. focused on putting Clearly Now into the race earlier than had been the case in the Thanksgiving, and after keeping up comfortably with a slow pace, Clearly Now cruised home a sharp winner, getting his final quarter-mile in about 23 seconds. Left in his wake was Control Stake, the Thanksgiving winner.

“He’s a 100-percent-sound horse, but he’s not too good on his lead changes,” said Faucheux. “When he switched leads, he had a different gear. Valdivia only hit him once, and he showed a strong spurt.”

Faucheux was concerned that Clearly Now, a millionaire son of Horse Greeley who has excelled in races up to one mile, would have trouble getting up at six furlongs, but the Saturday score puts the Duncan F. Kenner Stakes on Feb. 20 at Fair Grounds on his connections’ radar. Clearly Now, however, is only a possible runner in the Kenner, Faucheux said, with his connections weighing out-of-town races for the horse, too.