Seeking the Soul's runner-up finish brightens Stewart's day

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dallas Stewart came to town shrouded in disappointment, the result of his beloved New Orleans Saints having been eliminated from Super Bowl contention by a highly controversial non-call in the NFC championship game last Sunday. But he’ll return to his hometown with that frown turned upside down after notching yet another runner-up finish with a big longshot on one of racing’s most visible stages.

Seeking the Soul, with John Velazquez riding for Stewart and owner-breeder Charles Fipke, closed stoutly to outfinish all but the dominant winner, City of Light, on Saturday in the third running of the $9 million Pegasus World Cup at rain-soaked Gulfstream Park. The 6-year-old horse was dismissed at 34-1.

The result mimics those of other Stewart runners who have ruined exotic wagers in recent years for all but the few horseplayers sage enough to use his horses at long odds, including Kentucky Derby runners-up Golden Soul (34-1 in 2013) and Commanding Curve (37-1 in 2014), and Preakness runners-up Macho Again (39-1 in 2008) and Tale of Verve (28-1 in 2015).

With Velazquez saving ground on both turns, Seeking the Soul, last of 12 in the early stages, steadily picked off opponents before hitting full stride down the stretch. Staying near the rail, he put on a powerful late burst to finish 5 3/4 lengths behind City of Light and another 1 1/2 lengths before favored Accelerate. Second place was worth $900,000 from the massive purse.

“A great horse beat us,” Stewart said. “Johnny said he got stopped on the turn, and that might’ve cost us a little bit.”

“He ran big,” Velazquez said. “I had to wait a little bit at the three-eighths pole,” when the early leader, Patternrecognition, tired badly in front of him, “and by the time I got out, I was late. The other horse (City of Light) had gotten away from us by then. But yeah, he was good. He was freaking awesome.”

Stewart, 60, has been involved in racing since a young age, working as a longtime assistant to D. Wayne Lukas before going out on his own in 1997. He has won nine Grade 1 races, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with Unbridled Elaine (2001) and Forever Unbridled (2017) and the 2006 Kentucky Oaks with 45-1 shot Lemons Forever. His horses have now earned nearly $49 million.

While both City of Light and Accelerate are headed to stud duty at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky, Fipke and Stewart have said they are looking to race Seeking the Soul another year and are hoping to be extended an invitation to the March 30 Dubai World Cup. In the meantime, Seeking the Soul will return to Stewart’s barn at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where he will resume training within the week. Career earnings from 24 starts for the son of Perfect Soul now stand at $2,601,042.

“It would have been great to have been first, but our horse ran great,” Stewart said. “I’m very proud of him.”