Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Harmonize eyes Rodeo Drive
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Harmonize, who won for the first time in just more than a year in Saturday’s Grade 3 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga, could make her next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 30, trainer Bill Mott said Sunday.
The likelihood of firm ground at Santa Anita is perhaps one reason to point to the Rodeo Drive, and the potential to get away from some of the bears in trainer Chad Brown’s female turf division is potentially another reason.
Harmonize, who hadn’t won since the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 20, 2016, was able to run down Grateful in deep stretch Saturday. Harmonize covered the 1 3/8 miles in 2:15.59 and earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I’ve had her in maybe a couple of the wrong spots, but this one worked out,” Mott said. “We’ll evaluate the race and see how good a race it was. She had a wide trip. She ran pretty good, actually.”
Since she does own a win at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar, Harmonize will be considered for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 4. “It’s been talked about,” Mott said.
Mott just missed sweeping the two turf stakes here Saturday as Yoshida came up a neck short against Voodoo Song in the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes. Yoshida encountered some traffic around the turn and was forced to go widest of all in the stretch.
“It could have cost him a neck,” said Mott, who noted that the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince at Belmont on Oct. 7 is a possibility for Yoshida’s next start.
Voodoo Song possible for Hill Prince
Now that the meet is about to end, trainer Linda Rice will have to give considerable thought about where to run her Saratoga turf course-loving Voodoo Song next.
Voodoo Song won her fourth race of the meet when she held off Yoshida in the $300,000 Saranac Stakes for 3-year-olds. Earlier in the meet, Voodoo Song won a $40,000 claiming race and then two New Yorkbred allowance races.
Rice said she would like to keep Voodoo Song running against 3-year-olds, which likely limits her options to the Grade 3, $200,000 Commonwealth Derby at Laurel on Sept. 30 or the Hill Prince.
“I ran him aggressive up here, knowing he liked the course,” Rice said. “Now we’ll have to map out a plan that makes sense. Ideally, I’d like to run him on a firm course, two turns against straight 3-year-ods. I don’t know what opportunities are out there like that as we are running out of options for 3-year-olds. The [Hill Prince] might be the best choice.”
Voodoo Song is 5 for 5 on turf, with his maiden win coming last November over the Aqueduct turf course.
Voodoo Song ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.18 and earned a 94 Beyer in the Saranac.
Lady Ivanka likely for Breeders’ Cup
Though she ran the secondslowest time in 24 runnings of the Grade 1 Spinaway at seven furlongs, Lady Ivanka likely will be pointed to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4 at Del Mar, trainer Rudy Rodriguez said Sunday.
Lady Ivanka earned a feespaid berth in the Juvenile Fillies with her three-quarterlength win over Maya Malibu in the Spinaway. Both fillies took advantage of a pace duel that cooked race favorites Separationofpowers and Pure Silver, who finished third and fourth.
Lady Ivanka, an Oklahomabred daughter of Tiz Wonderful, ran seven furlongs in 1:24.97 and was assigned a 66 Beyer. Only Mani Bhavan, who ran in 1:25.23 in 2008, ran a slower time in winning the Spinaway at seven furlongs. She also got a 66 Beyer, the slowest on record for the race.
“They say time only matters in jail,” Rodriguez said. “As long as she got the win, at end of the day, that’s what counts.”
Rodriguez said Lady Ivanka came out of the Spinaway tired but otherwise in pretty good shape. He said he would prefer to train Lady Ivanka up to the Breeders’ Cup, but would discuss that with owners Michael Dubb, Michael Imperio, Susan Montanye, and Michael Caruso’s Bethlehem Stables.
Copper Bullet has minor injury
Copper Bullet, the fourlength winner of the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, will be sidelined indefinitely with a minor injury, his connections said.
“He’s on the shelf for a little bit, I don’t know how long,” said Ron Winchell, whose Winchell Thoroughbreds co-owns Copper Bullet with Willis Horton. “He’s probably not going to make the Breeders’ Cup. He had a little setback, so we gave him a little time. He’ll be back.”
Copper Bullet, a son of More Than Ready trained by Steve Asmussen, won a maiden race by eight lengths in May at Churchill Downs in his second start. After finishing a troubled second in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs on June 30, he rebounded in the Saratoga Special here on Aug. 13.
“It’s a little disappointing when you have to back off one like that, but he’ll be back,” Winchell said. “Just something simple; he just needs time.”