Voodoo Song holds off Delta Prince in Fourstardave

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In 1996, the New York Racing Association renamed the Daryl’s Joy Handicap after Fourstardave, a New York-bred who won a race at Saratoga for eight consecutive meets (1987-94).

On Saturday, Voodoo Song, an equally as gutty New York-bred, paid homage to his predecessor by holding off Delta Prince to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga by a neck.

The win was not only the first Grade 1 victory for Voodoo Song - who is now 5 for 5 at Saratoga - but it was the first Saratoga Grade 1 success for Barry Schwartz, a longtime New York-based owner and breeder who has won countless stakes here and elsewhere.

“I won a lot of stakes up here, some Grade 1s around the country, but never a Grade 1 in Saratoga,” Schwartz said in the winner’s circle. “First one. So very exciting for me.”

Schwartz had to do a little arm-twisting of his trainer Linda Rice to run Voodoo Song in the Fourstardave. He was also eligible for the Lure Stakes, a race originally scheduled for Aug. 4, but rescheduled for Saturday when rain forced the cancellation of the last two races on that card.

“What was there to prove to win the Lure?” Schwartz said. “It’s like an allowance race. Let’s step up and find out what we have. The horse loves Saratoga. I’m a handicapper - horses for courses. Hopefully, he’ll become the new King of Saratoga. He’s got a long way to go to be Fourstardave, but a very, very exciting horse.”

A very gritty horse, too. Last summer, Voodoo Song went 4 for 4 at Saratoga, a streak that began on the second day of the meet in a $40,000 claiming race. It included two New York-bred allowance races and ended with a neck victory over Yoshida in the Grade 3 Saranac.
Yoshida, this year, was a Grade 1 winner and was sent off the 9-5 favorite in the Fourstardave.

Rice was worried about the condition of the turf course, which has been beaten up by Mother Nature all meet. More rain fell Saturday and the course was listed as good, though the clods that were being kicked up sure made it seem softer than that.

Under Jose Lezcano, Voodoo Song outsprinted Heart to Heart for the early lead, opening up a five-length lead after running an opening half-mile in 46.89 seconds.

Around the far turn Made You Look, Heart to Heart, and Delta Prince all began to close the gap on Voodoo Song.

Voodoo Song repelled Made You Look and Heart to Heart, but a four-wide Delta Prince kept coming. But Voodoo Song held him off as well to gain the victory, his eighth in 16 starts.

“That’s very typical of him in his previous races,” Rice said of Voodoo Song’s tenacity. “A lot of horses, particularly grass horses, unless they’re a turf sprinter they would give it up, but not this horse. He does not give it up.”

Voodoo Song, now 5 for 5 over Saratoga’s turf, covered the mile in 1:35.96 over a course labeled good and returned $15.40 to win.

“Who better to win the Fourstardave than a horse who is obviously a Saratoga star?” Rice said.

Javier Castellano, Delta Prince's rider, tipped his hat to Voodoo Song, denying a suggestion that Delta Prince may have hung late.

“My horse never gave up, he kept going and going but that horse did not come back to me,” Castellano said. “He was second-best today.”

Divisidero finished two lengths behind Delta Prince in third. Made You Look, Yoshida and Heart to Heart completed the order of finish.

Manny Franco, aboard favored Yoshida, said his horse was handling the wet turf fine, “but I had no horse to keep on going.”