Monmouth: Harmony Lodge romps

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Harmony Lodge easily won the $50,000 Little Silver Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park Saturday before a crowd of 12,285. With Eibar Coa aboard, Harmony Lodge ran the six furlongs in 1:10 over a sloppy track. It was the third straight victory on the card for Coa.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Eugene and Laura Melnyk, Harmony Lodge ($3.60) shot out of the gate and never faced a challenge, winning by nine lengths. Appealing Satin finished second and Gigi's Magic was third in the four-horse field, which was reduced by five scratches. Among those scratched was graded stakes winner Xtra Heat.

"I knew she would run well, and my only concern was the sloppy track," Pletcher said of Harmony Lodge. "But she's such a nice filly, she handled it well."

Harmony Lodge improved her record to 3-0-1 from four career starts. According to Pletcher, she will make her next start in the Prioress at Belmont on July 4, with the Grade 1 Test for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga on July 28 as the main goal.

* Rudirudy ($16.40), a 6-year-old trained and owned by Gaston D. Sandoval, wore down favored Testame to win the $50,000 Wolf Hill Stakes by a nose on Saturday. Ridden by Coa, Rudirudy ran the five furlongs in 57.34 over a sloppy track. Erlton finished third.

The race was moved from the turf to the main track because of rain, and only five ran of the 14 who entered.

Rudirudy improved his record to 10-6-4 from 36 career starts, and he has earned $308,065.