Rice Takes Voodoo Song From Claimer to BC Contender

ELMONT, N.Y.–When Barry Schwartz homebred Voodoo Song (English Channel) first came to the Linda Rice barn in the summer of 2017, he had just one win from six starts and had been off the board in his last three efforts. Since then, Rice has turned the chestnut from a mediocre dirt sprinter to a Grade I-winning turf horse, who is headed to Keeneland Saturday for the GI Shadwell Turf Mile and is also possible for the Breeders' Cup.

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.

“The 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. “So, 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. (Click here for a story on Voodoo Song's third straight win at the Spa last term).

“I think it can be done with certain horses in certain situations,” Rice said of the quick turnaround between races. “Obviously, when a horse loves a course, he is doing well. You certainly don't run a horse back in short rest after a poor effort. Voodoo Song was thriving off that routine. I ran him back quickly the first time [July 22 and then July 26], then he got four weeks [before his next race Aug. 23] and then 10 days [before the Sept. 2 Saranac]. He survived based on the four weeks in the middle. If I couldn't have done that, we couldn't have done the four races.”

America's leading female trainer added, “You don't do it very often, but it's great when it works.”

When Rice first stretched Voodoo Song out on the turf, the chestnut was very headstrong early, running off sometimes 15 or more lengths clear of the rest of the field, but always managed to have something left in the tank. While he still does his best work on the front end, Rice has managed to get the 4-year-old to relax while doing what he does his best this season.

“I think that last year he was pretty rank, but that was partially because he had been running six furlongs on the dirt,” Rice said. “So, when we stretched him out to go long on the turf, he was unratable. Since turning from age three to four and getting away from dirt sprints, he has become much more professional and ratable. We've had him on the lead in most of his races, but he sat off the pace in the [GIII] Poker [S.] and ran well. So, I think he is just maturing.”

Determinedly fighting off a pair of challengers, including the heavy favorite, to win a May 12 optional claimer on the Belmont lawn, Voodoo Song checked in a respectable third behind recent GI Woodbine Mile victor and 'TDN Rising Star' Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) in a record-setting renewal of the GIII Poker S. at Belmont June 17. 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).

“Barry [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. “But 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.

“Since then he's been good,” Rice said. “That 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. So, we're going try it again. We're probably going to run at Keeneland in the Shadwell Mile. So we'll see how that goes.”

A strong performance in the Shadwell Turf Mile, which is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event, could stamp Voodoo Song and Rice's tickets to Churchill Downs for the World Championships next month.

“Obviously things would have to go very well for us at Keeneland for us to go to the Breeders' Cup,” Rice said. “We were disappointed in the last race at Saratoga, so we'll see how that all unfolds.”