WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 RICE TAKES VOODOO SONG KEENELAND CATALOGS 4,509 HORSES FOR NOVEMBER SALE FROM CLAIMER TO Keeneland has cataloged 4,509 horses for its 2018 November Breeding Stock Sale, which will run Nov. 5-16. The catalogue is BC CONTENDER available online and the print version will be mailed out the week of Oct. 15. The 4,509 horses in the November Sale catalog include 2,257 broodmares and racing or broodmare prospects, 1,788 weanlings, 453 horses of racing age and 11 stallions. Two horses are late entries to the auction. AThe strong global appeal of the November Sale sets it apart from all other breeding stock sales,@ Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said. AThis auction is the primary source for domestic and international buyers for stakes-winning fillies and stakes-producing mares in foal to the world=s most exciting stallions while being a key market for weanlings and Click here to watch the TDN video that goes with horses of racing age. We look forward to the November Sale this feature on Linda Rice and Voodoo Song building on the strength of the recent September Sale and the By Christie DeBernardis excitement of the Breeders= Cup at Churchill Downs.@ Cont. p5 ELMONT, N.Y.--When Barry Schwartz homebred Voodoo Song (English Channel) first came to the Linda Rice barn in the IN TDN EUROPE TODAY summer of 2017, he had just one win from six starts and had PHOENIX SPRINGS FOR GALILEO FILLY been off the board in his last three efforts. Since then, Rice has A filly by Galileo (Ire) topped the first day of the Goffs Orby turned the chestnut from a mediocre dirt sprinter to a Grade I- Yearling Sale when purchased by Phoenix Thoroughbreds for winning turf horse, who is headed to Keeneland Saturday for the €2 million on Tuesday. Click or tap here to go straight to GI Shadwell Turf Mile and is also possible for the Breeders= Cup. TDN Europe. In the beginning of his career, Voodoo Song had been running mostly in sprint races on the main track, but his sole victory came in his only try on turf. That combined with his sire, who was a turf router and is known for producing similar horses, led Rice to stretch the New York-bred out on the turf and he responded with four straight victories during last year=s Saratoga meet. AThe horse was struggling to compete on the dirt and, to me, it was a no brainer to switch him back to grass,@ Rice said in her beautifully decorated office at Barn 44 at Belmont. ASo, I immediately switched him back to the grass and to a route of ground and he took off.@ It is impressive enough to win four races at Saratoga period, never mind to do it in a single 40-day meet, especially in a day and age where most Thoroughbreds race once a month at best. Some of Voodoo Song=s races came as little as four days apart and, what was just as impressive, was the fact that his first race of the 2017 Spa meet was in a $40,000 claimer and by the end of the summer he was a Grade III winner after capturing the GIII Saranac S. Cont. p3 Mor 2YO SPEED G1 Los Al Futurity Winner Mor MILER SPEED G1 Met Mile Winner Mor HISTORIC SPEED 117 Beyer – Fastest Horse Ever From The Giant’s Causeway Line SEE MOR Mor Spirit Eskendereya – Im a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union THE BREEDERS’ FARM NEW FOR 2019 spendthriftfarm.com 859.294.0030 $10,000 S&N PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey October sky. Horses train on a picturesque Tuesday morning at Sagamore Farm in Reisterstown, MD. | Katlyn Lamp Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist OXLEY GISWS TO SELL AT FTKNOV 5 Justina Severni John Oxley-owned Grade I winners Pretty City Dancer (Tapit) & La Coronel (Colonel John) will sell with Taylor Made at the Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes Fasig-Tipton November Sale. [email protected] Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen INTO MISCHIEF FILLY LEADS THE WAY AT FASIG 6 Director of Information Technology A filly by leading sire Into Mischief topped the final session and Ray Villa the sale Tuesday at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale. [email protected] Ben Massam continues to provide on-site coverage from Maryland. Bookkeeper Terry May [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION TODAY’S GRADED STAKES International Editor EST Race Click for TV Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 10:55a Pferdewetten.de Preis der Deutschen Einheit-G3, HOP -------------- ----- [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2018 Rice Takes Voodoo Song from Claimer to BC Contender managed to have something left in the tank. While he still does cont. from p1 his best work on the front end, Rice has managed to get the AI think it can be done with certain horses in certain 4-year-old to relax while doing what he does his best this season. situations,@ Rice said of the quick turnaround between races. AI think that last year he was pretty rank, but that was partially AObviously, when a horse loves a because he had been running six course, he is doing well. You furlongs on the dirt,@ Rice said. certainly don=t run a horse back ASo, when we stretched him out in short rest after a poor effort. to go long on the turf, he was Voodoo Song was thriving off unratable. Since turning from that routine. I ran him back age three to four and getting quickly the first time [July 22 and away from dirt sprints, he has then July 26], then he got four become much more professional weeks [before his next race and ratable. We=ve had him on Aug. 23] and then 10 days the lead in most of his races, but [before the Sept. 2 Saranac]. He he sat off the pace in the survived based on the four [GIII] Poker [S.] and ran well. So, I weeks in the middle. If I couldn=t think he is just maturing.@ have done that, we couldn=t have Determinedly fighting off a pair Linda Rice with Voodoo Song | Christie DeBernardis done the four races.@ of challengers, including the America=s leading female trainer added, AYou don=t do it very heavy favorite, to win a May 12 optional claimer on the Belmont often, but it=s great when it works.@ lawn, Voodoo Song checked in a respectable third behind recent When Rice first stretched Voodoo Song out on the turf, the GI Woodbine Mile victor and >TDN Rising Star= Oscar chestnut was very headstrong early, running off sometimes Performance (Kitten=s Joy) in a record-setting renewal of the 15 or more lengths clear of the rest of the field, but always GIII Poker S. at Belmont June 17. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 12 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2018 Rice Takes Voodoo Song From Claimer to BC Contender cont. Voodoo Song en route to victory in the Fourstardave | Robert Mauhar A decisive front-running winner of that venue=s one-mile Forbidden Apple S. next out July 14, he followed suit with a gritty victory in Saratoga=s GI Fourstardave H. Aug. 11, defeating an accomplished field that included a trio of multiple Grade I winners (video). ABarry [Schwartz] wanted to run in the Grade I Fourstardave, but the trainer in me, I'm always wanting to run in the easiest spot, the spot we can win,@ Rice said. ABut with some encouragement from Barry, we went ahead and ran in the Fourstardave. I think we were both a little surprised and delighted that he won.@ Voodoo Song suffered his first loss over the Saratoga course he has become known for relishing when fading to fifth last time in the 1 1/16-mile GII Bernard Baruch H. Sept. 3. While in the Fourstardave he clocked early fractions of :23.53 and :46.89 and in a 1 1/16-mile allowance at the Spa last term he registered splits of :23.32 and :46.61, the Empire-bred set unusually soft fractions of :24.13 and :47.89 in the Bernard Baruch. ASince then he's been good,@ Rice said. AThat was a bit of a mystery to us. We found ourselves in a race with no speed, but Voodoo has become so relaxed and ratable these days that I think we may have taken his A-game away from him. In other words, in that race, there was no speed, no one pressuring him. He dawdled along at a slow pace and it took his advantage away.