Harmonic Hopes to Hit a High Note

By Christie DeBernardis 

Originally purchased as a pinhooking prospect, Harmonic (Congrats) looks to validate his owners' decision to race him themselves in Saturday's GIII El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate. 

Consigned by John Phillips' Darby Dan Farm on behalf of his breeder Mike Abraham at the 2013 Keeneland January sale, Harmonic was purchased by Darby Dan on behalf of a partnership for $87,000 with the intention of reselling him at Keeneland September. However, when the colt RNA'd for $70,000 at the September sale, the partnership, which includes Phillips, Darby Dan General Manager Robert Hammond, Rick Awtrey and Chad Schumer, decided to keep him and point him for the races. 

“He's just a big, strong horse,” Hammond said of Harmonic's appeal. “We are also always looking for future stallion prospects. That's the idea if we keep a colt.” 

The big colt took time to develop, but displayed talent against some tough company while doing so. After a wide trip and awkward start, the bay finished fifth on debut sprinting over the Del Mar synthetic July 26 in a test that included GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile upsetter Texas Red (Afleet Alex) and impressive allowance winner Prospect Park (Tapit). 

Fourth in a one-mile Del Mar test won by Texas Red next out Aug. 20, Harmonic was running well before he clipped heels and fell in a one-mile event on the dirt at Santa Anita Oct. 4. That race was won by J “TDN Rising Star” J One Lucky Dane (Lookin at Lucky) and Prospect Park finished second. Switched to the turf next out at Del Mar Nov. 7, the Jerry Hollendorfer pupil completed the exacta behind Rock Shandy (Lemon Drop Kid), who was most recently third in last Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. 

Given a brief freshening, the bay resurfaced in a 1 1/8-mile test over the Golden Gate synthetic Jan. 16, the same distance as the El Camino Real Derby, where he broke from the eight hole as the 2-5 chalk. Trailing the field in the three path through glacial early splits of :24.56 and :51.48, Harmonic circled the field five wide rounding the far turn and charged clear to score comfortably with very little encouragement from Hall of Famer Russell Baze. 

“He's a big horse, so I think it took a while to get it all together,” Hammond said. “His first few races were won by Texas Red, Rock Shandy, who ran well in the [Robert B. Lewis] last week, and One Lucky Dane. Those were some tough races and he ran well. We just switched him over [to Golden Gate] to get some confidence and a win and to go 1 1/8 miles.” 

The 46-year-old native of England added, “We were pleased [with his win]. We always knew he was good. We just kept getting bad draws and running against some big horses. We knew he would do something eventually and now he has, but you never know how far he will go.” 

Harmonic, who was produced by a daughter of champion turf mare Wandesta (GB) (Nashwan), is one of just four horses in the race with a prep over this surface–with two of the other three being his stablemates Cross the Line (Line of David) and Stand and Salute (Saint Anddan)–and is the only one of those with a win over this distance. 

“The win over this surface and distance is nice, but we are an outsider,” Hammond remarked. “Conquest Typhoon (Stormy Atlantic) is in there and he was fourth in the [GI] Breeders' Cup [Juvenile Turf]. I think we are 20-1 [on the morning line] and that is probably about right.” 

Harmonic is one of just two horses owned by Hammond, who previously served as WinStar's Stallion Director. He is part of this same partnership on another Hollendorfer-trained sophomore named Steel (Mineshaft), who most recently finished fifth behind Cross the Line in the California Derby here Jan. 17. 

When asked how he felt about his chances of collecting his first graded stakes win with Harmonic Saturday, Hammond chuckled and replied, “About 20-1.”