Golden Soul seeks first stakes win in Louisville Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s been more than two years since Golden Soul suddenly entered the racing consciousness by finishing second to Orb as a 34-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

In all that time, Golden Soul still hasn’t won the first stakes race of his career, although he finds an ideal spot to do so Saturday at Churchill in the 78th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Louisville Handicap.

The top four highweights all took a pass on the 1 1/2-mile turf race, leaving a cluster of horses assigned between 113 and 116 pounds. Golden Soul, at 115, actually has done his best work on grass and figures as good as any in a well-matched field of nine older horses.

“We feel like it should be a good spot for him because of the surface and the distance,” said trainer Dallas Stewart, who won three straight runnings of the Louisville with Silverfoot (2004-06). “He’s trained real well up to it.”

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Majestic Harbor, the winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup last summer on the Santa Anita dirt, is among his chief opponents, along with Patrioticandproud and Cozy Kitten.

First post Saturday is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the Louisville set for 4:18 as the eighth of 10 races.

The Louisville is the first of two Grade 3 races to be run here this weekend, with the $100,000 Winning Colors set for Memorial Day, the lone Monday card of this 37-day spring meet.

KEY CONTENDERS

Golden Soul (Last 3 Beyers: 82-84-74)

◗ His memorable runner-up finish in the 2013 Derby was part of a 15-race losing streak that finally was snapped when he won back-to-back turf allowances here last November, so clearly this Charles Fipke homebred has a fondness for the local grass course.

Majestic Harbor (Last 3 Beyers: 90-84-80)

◗ Turf is the obvious question for a 7-year-old horse whose career earnings surpassed the $750,000 mark when he captured a second straight off-the-turf allowance when Churchill opened its meet under the lights April 25.

Patrioticandproud (Last 3 Beyers: 78-79-88)

◗ He chased Majestic Harbor home in both of those off-the-turf races last month, but the change in surfaces likely will be to his benefit, considering how well he ran in the Hollywood Turf Cup and the San Gabriel late last year when part of the Mark Casse string in California.