Voodoo Song Makes It Four in a Row With Saranac Win

Voodoo Song loves Saratoga Race Course. The 3-year-old colt by English Channel  won his fourth consecutive race on the turf at the Spa this summer with a victory the Saranac Stakes (G3T) Sept. 2. It was the first time since Native Dancer in 1952, that a horse has won four times at a Saratoga meet, according to the New York Racing Association. 

The 1 1/8-mile Saranac was the first black-type win for Voodoo Song, who is a Barry K. Schwartz homebred, trained by Linda Rice, and ridden by Jose Lezcano. He has won all five of his attempts on the grass.

The New York-bred ran true to style and took the lead early as he had done in his previous three starts. Voodoo Song launched forward and by the first turn was five and a half lengths ahead of the rest of the field. He tracked well in front down the backstretch, where Bricks and Mortar made a big move and was soon second behind the pacesetter.

Coming out of the second turn, Voodoo Song repelled a challenge from Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's 2-1 favorite Bricks and Mortar and pulled away by a length with a furlong to go. As the field moved down the stretch, second choice Yoshida found running room and rocketed toward the leader with huge, ground-eating strides. Voodoo Song held on to win by a neck in 1:46.18.

"The reason I've run him back so many times is he likes this course, he likes the configuration," said Rice. "Obviously, it hasn't rained much, and he likes the firm going and that could change very quickly in the next 30 days or six weeks, so I thought let's take advantage of it we can rest him later. This meet we haven't had much rain. In 2009 when I won the title, we didn't have much rain, and my turf horses ran great the same year, so sometimes that works for you."

Having achieved three previous gate-to-wire victories, Lezcano said going to the front was clearly the plan.

"He broke to the lead and that was it," the jockey said. "That was the only strategy going in; let him go and let him break lose. I know we were going fast, but that is how he likes it, running free. If you make him hang around he throws his head, so we let him go. He's happier that way and you saw the rest."

Bricks and Mortar got squeezed back at the break when Voodoo Song broke inward and bumped with Master Plan, but jockey Joel Rosario didn't blame the troubled start on the outcome.

"I didn't have a good start but it was OK, he likes to run like that," Rosario said. "I had to make an early move to chase the leader. The pace was honest. I had to kind of get up and it took him out of his game a little bit. But he's a good horse, I give him credit."

Voodoo Song is out of the stakes-winning mare Mystic Dancer (Unbridled's Song). 

Yoshida, trained by Bill Mott and owned by WinStar Farm, Head of Plains Partners, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, finished a half-length ahead of the Chad Brown-trained Bricks and Mortar.

Voodoo Song paid $14.40, $7.20, and $4.30. Yoshida paid $4.20 and $3, while Bricks and Mortar paid $2.60. The completing the order of finish was Rocketry, Mr Havercamp, Makarios, Caviar Czar, and Master Plan.