Franco posts stakes double as Voodoo Song takes Forbidden Apple

ELMONT, N.Y. – One of the reasons trainer Linda Rice ran Voodoo Song four times at Saratoga last year was because she felt the then-3-year-old New York-bred was better around two turns than one.

Now 4, Voodoo Song seems quite comfortable around one turn, something he proved again Saturday winning the $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont by one length in gate-to-wire fashion.

The win was the second around one turn this meet for Voodoo Song, and seventh from 15 starts overall.

Able to get away with an uncontested one-length lead through a half-mile in 46.30 seconds, Voodoo Song really went unchallenged under Manny Franco and beat Projected by a length. It was a neck back to Offering Plan as trainer Chad Brown's runners finished 2-3. Mr Havercamp was fourth, followed by Disco Partner, the even-money favorite, Blind Ambition, who stumbled badly at the start, and Pocket Change.

Voodoo Song, a son of English Channel, completed the mile in 1:31.67 over the Widener turf course. He returned $12 as the 5-1 third choice.

“I think he’s just maturing,” Rice said. “Last year he was really rank and hard to rate coming out of six-furlong dirt races. When we first got him … he was very rank in his first few races. I think the two turns helped him settle and helped us get him to the wire first. But as an older horse, as a 4-year-old, he’s matured a lot. Clearly, in his races he’s rating kinder than he was before.”

Voodoo Song will head to Saratoga, where he won all four of his starts last year. A race like the $200,000 Lure on Aug. 4 or the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 11 are possible for his next start, Rice said. There is also the West Point for New York-breds on Aug. 24.

Voodoo Song is owned by Barry Schwartz, who earlier on the card won the $100,000 Rockville Centre Stakes with the 2-year-old La Fuerza. Schwartz was ontrack for the Rockville Centre, but had to leave to attend a family engagement before the Forbidden Apple was run.

Franco rode both stakes winners as part of a three-win day as he tries to catch Jose Ortiz for second in the Belmont spring/summer jockey standings. Franco has 48 wins, one less than Jose Ortiz heading into Sunday’s final card.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has wrapped up the jockey title with 60 wins. Ortiz rode Disco Partner in the Forbidden Apple and seemed to be in good position turning for home, but the horse didn’t fire. Though Disco Partner won this race last year, Ortiz feels the one-mile distance is not his best.

“I was where we wanted to be, he was just flat a little bit it in the end,” Ortiz said. “We asked him to do something he really doesn’t want to do. He’s a great sprinter.”