Harmonize eyes Rodeo Drive Stakes

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 for 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 on 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.

Voodoo Song may point to 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 York-bred 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.