Fair Grounds notes: Golden Soul recharging ahead of New Orleans Handicap

NEW ORLEANS – Golden Soul arrived at Fair Grounds last week without fanfare.

Who knows how he would have been greeted if he had run a length faster in the Kentucky Derby?

“Orb ran the race of his life to beat us, and [Golden Soul] ran the race of his life,” said Dallas Stewart, who trains Golden Soul. “We’re very proud of our horse.”

Golden Soul struggled in his four starts since finishing second at 34-1 odds in the Derby. After finishing ninth in a Kentucky Downs allowance race on Sept. 18 in his last start, he had a leg injury “that required a lot of jogging and icing and therapy,” Stewart said.

Golden Soul worked twice in November at Churchill Downs before Stewart decided that the colt would benefit from time away from the track. He went to WinStar Farm for 30 days of jogging and relaxation in the pasture.

“Just trying to condition him for this year,” Stewart said. “He was a May 14 foal.”

Stewart said that Golden Soul looks well and his weight is good. “He’s got the quality,” Stewart said. “He’s got plenty of class. I look for him to have a really good year.”

The prime Fair Grounds goal for Golden Soul, who is eligible for a first-level allowance race, is the New Orleans Handicap, Stewart said.

Last season at Fair Grounds, Golden Soul ran in all three Kentucky Derby preps, finishing second in the Lecomte, sixth in the Risen Star, and fourth in the Louisiana Derby. This season, a Louisiana Derby/Kentucky Derby hopeful for Stewart is Commanding Curve, who won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on closing day of the Churchill Downs fall meet.

Stewart said he’s taking his time with Commanding Curve, a Master Command colt who might make his stakes debut in the Risen Star. “We’re trying to get to the Louisiana Derby safe and sound,” Stewart said.

He said he’s not concerned about accumulating Kentucky Derby points. “That freaks everybody out,” he said. Last year, Golden Soul had 14 points, and his place in the Derby starting gate wasn’t solidified until a few days before the race.

“I could see horses with a whole lot more points than us weren’t going to make the race,’’ Stewart said. “Every year will be different.”

Stewart also is high on Unbridled Forever, an Unbridled’s Song-Lemons Forever 2-year-old filly who ran seven furlongs in 1:21.91 in her second start to rout maidens on closing day at Churchill. “The goal for her is the Fair Grounds Oaks, Kentucky Oaks,” he said.

Stewart trained and was co-owner of Lemons Forever, who won the Kentucky Oaks in 2006. He said Unbridled Forever is like Lemons Forever mentally. “She’s got a really good mind, and her mother had a really good mind,” he said.

Adios Nardo finding best stride

Having stepped out of claiming company, the 4-year-old turf runner Adios Nardo is showing the best form of his career.

In his last seven starts, Adios Nardo won four claiming races at Arlington Park, finished second in an optional claiming race there, won in optional claiming company at Fair Grounds, and finished a clear second in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial on Dec. 21.

His front-running style has played well on the refurbished turf course. Adios Nardo, who led all the way in his local victory, set a fast pace in the Diliberto before being caught by Daddy Nose Best in the stretch.

“He hated this turf course last year,” trainer Leo Gabriel said. “He likes this turf course this year, but it’s a whole different story.”

Next for Adios Nardo will be either the Col. E.R. Bradley on Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds or the John B. Connally on Jan. 25 at Sam Houston. “Wherever Daddy Nose Best goes, we’re going in the opposite direction,” Gabriel said.

Clark off to fast start

Veteran Louisiana jockey Kerwin Clark, who spends his summers at Evangeline Downs, doesn’t have the national following of some Fair Grounds jockeys. But Clark is making his presence known at this meet, ranking sixth among jockeys in purse earnings ($288,000) and fifth in wins (11) through Thursday.

“You’ve got some of the best riders in the country here,” said Clark, 54, who has 2,810 career victories. “These guys are coming from Kentucky, riding for the Kentucky people. They’re more in the spotlight than I am.”

Because of Albano, a 2-year-old trained by Larry Jones, Clark is hopeful about riding on the Kentucky Derby trail. “This meet here, Santa Claus brought me an early present, called Albano,” he said.

Clark rode Albano, a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Mark Valeski, to victories in a maiden race Nov. 24 and in the Sugar Bowl Stakes on Dec. 21. Both races were six furlongs.

“This colt is tall and lanky and lean,” Clark said. “I think he’ll love to stretch out. I really do.”

Clark said he enjoys riding for Jones. “He’s very much old-school,” Clark said. “That’s what I like. We’re very much cut from the same cloth.”

◗ Fair Grounds will be running Tuesday and Wednesday this week but not on Thursday.