Seeking the Soul could have one or two more starts ahead of BC Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Choices aplenty await Seeking the Soul as trainer Dallas Stewart contemplates what’s next for a 6-year-old horse who stamped his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a dramatic victory Saturday night in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.

“East Coast, West Coast, we’re keeping our options open,” said Stewart, who trains Seeking the Soul for owner-breeder Charles Fipke. “One thing is for sure – we definitely have a spot in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, unlike last year.”

A textbook ride from Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez helped make Seeking the Soul a winner in a hotly contested 38th running of the Foster. Closer to the pace than usual, Seeking the Soul saved ground on both turns of the 1 1/8-mile race before tipping out for the drive, from where he reeled in a stubborn Quip for a neck triumph.

Aside from the automatic BC berth that came with his victory, Seeking the Soul earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure and increased his career bankroll to $3,335,802. Last year, he was excluded from the BC Classic and relegated to the BC Dirt Mile, which is run at a distance shorter than ideal for his grinding style. The 36th BC Classic, set for Nov. 2, goes at 1 1/4 miles.

Stewart said races such as the Aug. 3 Whitney at Saratoga or Aug. 17 Pacific Classic at Del Mar will be considered as a first race back, with possibly one further start leading into the BC Classic.

Meanwhile, Elate is likely headed back to Delaware Park for the July 13 Delaware Handicap, a Grade 2 race she won easily last year as a 3-5 favorite. Trained by Bill Mott, the 5-year-old mare earned a 96 Beyer in Saturday’s Fleur de Lis at Churchill. She surged past two other Grade 1 winners, Blue Prize and She’s a Julie, to prevail under Jose Ortiz.

The most dominant performance among the five Foster night stakes came from Mr. Money, who drew off by 6 1/2 lengths under Gabriel Saez and earned a career-high 98 Beyer as the 3-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Matt Winn. The victory further validates his romp in the Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day and marks him as a player in a wide-open 3-year-old division.

Trainer Bret Calhoun said the July 13 Indiana Derby will be the next start for Mr. Money, while his other standout 3-year-old By My Standards missed a work this weekend and probably won’t be returning to action in the July 5 Iowa Derby.

“There is a little problem that we can’t figure out yet but doesn’t seem like much,” said Calhoun.

The two other Foster night stakes both were run on turf and were divvied up by the Casse family. The 2019 Hall of Fame nominee Mark Casse upset the Grade 2 Wise Dan with March to the Arch, who benefited from a perfect ride from Tyler Gaffalione, while his son Norm sent out the first stakes winner of his budding training career when Hard Legacy captured the Grade 3 Regret under Julien Leparoux.

“VERY PROUD!” Mark Casse said of his son on his Twitter account.

Saturday marked the 51st Downs After Dark card at Churchill since lights were first used in 2009. Ontrack attendance was 19,481.