Harvest Moon, Provocation top deep field in Torrey Pines

Harvest Moon and Provocation began the summer as unraced maidens. One of them could be a stakes winner by Saturday afternoon.

Harvest Moon and Provocation are part of a field of seven 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile on the main track at Del Mar.

They have had significantly different results leading to their first stakes appearances in the $100,000 Torrey Pines.

Harvest Moon, trained by Simon Callaghan for owner and breeder Alice Bamford, won her second consecutive race in a first-condition optional claimer at a mile against older fillies and mares on July 27. Harvest Moon closed from fifth in a field of six and pulled clear in the final furlong to win by 4 1/4 lengths as the 3-2 favorite.

“We’ve always really liked her,” Callaghan said. “She was a late-maturing filly. She has the big, beautiful rangy kind of frame.”

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Flavien Prat rode Harvest Moon in her last two starts, including a win in a maiden special weight race July 3 at Los Alamitos, and has the mount Saturday. Harvest Moon is by Uncle Mo and out of Qaraaba, who won the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes for Callaghan at Santa Anita in 2012.

While Harvest Moon has won twice at a mile, the distance is a change for Provocation, who is trained by Bob Baffert for Speedway Stable. By Into Mischief, Provocation won her debut in an impressive performance going 6 1/2 furlongs on June 21 at Santa Anita, but was a well-beaten third in a first-condition optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs on July 25 at Del Mar.

“I was a little disappointed in her,” Baffert said of the recent loss. “She’s come back and worked really well.

“I think she can handle two turns. This has been the goal all along.”

On July 25, Provocation finished behind Secret Keeper and Merneith, who are both part of the field for the Torrey Pines.

Secret Keeper, trained by Clifford Sise, is undefeated after starts in two sprints and very much among the contenders in the Torrey Pines. Secret Keeper won a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on May 25 at Santa Anita before winning by 2 1/2 lengths on July 25.

Secret Keeper, by Into Mischief, is a full-sister to Into Chocolate, who was third in the 2019 Torrey Pines Stakes for Sise and owners and breeders Pam and Marty Wygod.

There are no stakes winners in the Torrey Pines field, but Aurelia Garland, Merneith, and Paige Anne have been second or third in stakes.

The Torrey Pines is the first start for Paige Anne since a third in the California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields in May for Callaghan. Merneith was a well-beaten third behind the highly regarded Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on June 6.

Aurelia Garland is the lone shipper in the field. Trained in Kentucky by Rodolphe Brisset, Aurelia Garland was second in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows in her stakes debut July 5. This will be Aurelia Garland’s first start in California.