Harmonize to Make Season Debut in Royal Heroine
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Photo: Rick Samuels
Harmonize has been working steadily for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in preparation for her return
Last year's Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T) winner Harmonize will make her season debut in the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) for fillies and mares 4 and up in California April 8.
The daughter of Scat Daddy, owned by Larkin Armstrong and trained by Bill Mott, will carry high weight of 124 pounds in the one-mile contest on the Santa Anita Park turf.
After winning the Sanibel Island Handicap in March of 2016 as a 3-year-old, Harmonize finished third behind Canadian champion Catch a Glimpse in the grade 3 Edgewood Stakes, and second behind Time and Motion in the Wonder Again Stakes before finishing fifth in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).
Harmonize then took the Aug. 20 Del Mar Oaks by a head before finishing second in both the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T) at Keeneland, again behind Time and Motion, and the Mrs. Revere Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs.
Bred in Kentucky, Harmonize will face a field of seven others, spotting each two to four pounds. D P Racing's multiple graded stakes winner Prize Exhibit and last year's San Clemente Handicap (G2T) winner Mokat will each carry 122 pounds.
The 5-year-old Prize Exhibit has the most experience by far at this level, but the Showcasing mare had only one win in 2016—the Jan. 3 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) on Santa Anita's downhill turf going about 6 1/2 furlongs.
This year, she won the Jan. 16 Megahertz Stakes (G3T) at the Royal Heroine distance and then finished second in the Wishing Well Stakes again on the downhill turf.
One of two entries for trainer Richard Baltas, Mokat had her best race in last year's San Clemente going a mile at Del Mar, besting Lady Valeur, who will also be making her 4-year-old debut in the Royal Heroine.
In Mokat's only start this year, the daughter of Uncle Mo finished fifth in an off-the-turf edition of the Feb. 18 Buena Vista Stakes (G3) behind her stablemate and Baltas's other entrant Hillhouse High, who finished third in the one-mile race.
BLOODHORSE: Grade 2 Status Not Reinstated for Buena Vista
Sweet Charity has had three starts in 2017, with two seconds at the allowance/optional claiming level and a third behind Goodyearforroses and Pretty Girl in the March 12 Santa Ana Stakes (G2T) at 1 1/8 miles. Pretty Girl was making her 6-year-old debut and returns in the Royal Heroine for trainer Paulo Lobo.
Team Valor brings their Brazilian-bred Juno, who was undefeated in her native country, but has yet to win in the U.S. from four starts. In her U.S. debut she finished third in the June 26 Desert Stormer II Stakes.
Royal Heroine S. (G2T)
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 08, 2017, Race 5
- 1m
- Turf
- $200,000
- 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
- 2:30 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Juno (BRZ) | Kent J. Desormeaux | 120 | Neil D. Drysdale | 12/1 |
| 98 | 2Sweet Charity (FR) | SCRATCHED | 0 | UNKNOWN | - |
| 2 | 3Prize Exhibit (GB) | Mike E. Smith | 122 | James M. Cassidy | 7/2 |
| 3 | 4Lady Valeur (IRE) | Flavien Prat | 120 | Patrick Gallagher | 6/1 |
| 4 | 5Pretty Girl (ARG) | Victor Espinoza | 120 | Paulo H. Lobo | 9/2 |
| 5 | 6Harmonize (KY) |
Junior Alvarado | 124 | William I. Mott | 2/1 |
| 6 | 7Hillhouse High (KY) |
Corey S. Nakatani | 120 | Richard Baltas | 4/1 |
| 7 | 8Mokat (KY) |
Rafael Bejarano | 122 | Richard Baltas | 6/1 |