Key scratches possible in both West Point and Yaddo

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A lot can happen to change the complexion of races between the time they draw them and the time they run them. Friday’s $150,000 West Point for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up and its filly-mare counterpart, the $150,000 Yaddo, are cases in point.

Trainer Linda Rice says she’s on the fence and may now actually be leaning against running Grade 1 winner Voodoo Song in the West Point, while her colleague Chad Brown has Fifty Five as the favorite for the Yaddo but has entered her in Saturday’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa and is strongly considering that spot.

Another factor to consider is the several inches of rain that fell over the Saratoga turf on Wednesday, which could leave the course less than firm for both races.

The 1 1/16-mile West Point drew a field of eight. Along with Voodoo Song, the entrants include Offering Plan, who has finished second in the last two renewals of the event, and Therapist who’ll go postward the 124 pound highweight under the allowance conditions of the event.

Voodoo Song, if he runs, will attempt to get back to the form that saw him win the Grade 1 Fourstardave here a year ago. The speedy son of English Channel has failed to hit the board in four subsequent starts, the last two here earlier in the meet, which came on the heels of an eight-month layoff.

“I haven’t made a final decision yet on whether to run him or not,” Rice said as rain continued to fall late Wednesday morning. “We’ve looked at the race and saw the other speed in the field, and with all the rain we’ve gotten now, I might just lean towards waiting until Belmont to run him back.”

Voodoo Song blew out a half-mile in 48.44 seconds inside the dogs over the Oklahoma turf course on Tuesday equipped in blinkers, which he’ll wear for the first time if he starts in the West Point.

“It’s been tough to get him back in the game coming off the layoff,” Rice said. “It’s partly that we’ve been fighting to get the weight off since he came back, and it’s also part mental. The blinkers is just to change things up to see if we can get him back to his old self.”

Voodoo Song does his best on the lead, with or without blinkers, and he figures to be hard pressed early on with both Mo Maverick and Everyonelovesjames signed on for the West Point. An honest pace would certainly be a plus for the stretch-running 7-year-old Offering Plan, who was beaten a half-length by Get Jets in the 2017 West Point and the same margin by Kharafa here a year ago.

“On paper, it looks like he’s lost a step this year. He just hasn’t run the same,” Brown said. “He has trained well, though, so I’m hoping he’ll be able to find some of his old form on Friday.”

Therapist won the seven-furlong Elusive Quality at Belmont over yielding ground in his 2019 debut, so a less-than-firm turf course should be a plus for him, although his best races have all been at a mile or shorter.

Fifty Five was beaten a neck in the 2018 Yaddo before embarking on a four-race winning streak, all stakes, that ended last month when she was upset as the 2-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx Racing.

“I think there’s a good chance she’ll run in the Ballston Spa and the rain today could play a factor in the decision, since I’d rather her be on firmer ground,” Brown said.

Fifty Five’s defection would not hurt the feelings of trainer Christophe Clement, who has both Munchkin Money and Wegetsdamunnys as key contenders in the Yaddo.

Munchkin Money was purchased privately and turned over to Clement shortly after finishing a troubled second, just a length behind Fifty Five, in the one-mile Mount Vernon on May 27 at Belmont. She returned quick dividends for her new connections when capturing an optional-claiming race four weeks later at Belmont.

“She ran very well at Belmont,” Clement said. “She was impressive and she’s trained well on the grass here since the race.”

Wegetsdamunnys is coming off an optional-claiming victory against statebreds over yielding ground here earlier in the meet. She finished fourth, only two lengths behind of Fifty Five, in the Mount Vernon.

“She’s training nice, too, and she’s a good match with Munchkin Money,” said Clement, who added he expects Munchkin Money to be closer to the early pace than Wegetsdamunnys.