Who do the voodoo that you do so well? Voodoo Dancer, that’s who. Yesterday at Belmont Park, trainer Chris Clement’s standout 3-year-old grass filly proved her recent fourth in the Del Mar Oaks was merely a blip on the radar, rallying with a powerful move under Corey Nakatani to win the Grade 1, $250,000 Garden City Handicap by 43/4 lengths at Belmont Park.
The victory was Voodoo Dancer’s sixth in her last eight starts, four of those wins in stakes, making her a strong candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf here Oct. 27.
“She’s got a great turn of foot,” Clement said. “She likes to wait, then she explodes. Corey Nakatani rode her great.”
Voodoo Dancer paid $4.10 as the heavy favorite after running the mile-and-an-eighth over the inner turf course in 1:47.3. Longshot Shooting Party hung on for second after setting the early pace to complete a $33.40 exacta. Wander Mom was third.
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Gold Mover, one of last season’s top 2-year-old fillies but winless since January, broke through to the charmed circle again in yesterday’s $100,000 Floral Park Handicap at Belmont.
Odds-on favorite Dat You Miz Blue broke through the gate before the start, was reloaded, then outdueled speedy Midwest shipper Miss Seffens for the early lead through quick fractions (:22, :44.3). All that took its toll in midstretch as Gold Mover drove up the rail under Edgar Prado to win by 2½ lengths.
Gold Mover ran the six furlongs in 1:10 and paid $27.80, topping a $62.50 exacta with Dat You Miz Blue holding off the late-running Finder’s Fee for second.
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Point Given is being syndicated to stud for $50 million (50 shares at $1M each), the second-biggest price tag for a stallion in history behind Fusaichi Pegasus’ $60-70M. He will stand at Three Chimneys Farm near Lexington, Ky., whose stallion register includes Seattle Slew and Silver Charm.
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Trainer Bobby Frankel, after winning the Woodward last Saturday with Lido Palace, on his streak of stakes victories: “It’s like, ‘Don’t wake me up.’ I remember going to Las Vegas for the first time. [A friend] gave me $300, and I just did the same thing he did and didn’t open my mouth for 20 minutes. We were up like $39,000 between us, but I didn’t want to talk until we left. So let me sleep. Don’t wake me up.”
