Harmonize Rallies to Victory in the Jessamine

Larkin Armstrong’s Harmonize (Scat Daddy) raced well off the early pace in Wednesday’s GIII Jessamine S., but came thundering down the center of the Keeneland course to get up in the final jumps for a narrow victory in the Win and You’re In event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The even-money favorite was allowed to settle near the rear of the field as 139-1 outsider Carleigh Belle (Broken Vow) was loose on the lead through fractions of :22.44 and :47.02. The pacesetter was swallowed up by a host of challengers after three-quarters in 1:13.51 and Harmonize was forced to float out seven wide with some 10 lengths to make up turning into the stretch. Gobbling up ground in the center of the course, Harmonize surged past a determined Sapphire Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) late to score by a neck.

Harmonize became the latest juvenile graded stakes winner for Scat Daddy, whose Nickname captured the GI Frizette S. at Belmont last weekend. The Coolmore stallion has also been represented by GII Summer S. winner Conquest Daddyo, GII With Anticipation S. winner Azar, GII Sorrento S. winner Pretty n Cool and G2 Queen Mary S. winner Acapulco.

Harmonize set the pace before falling a nose short of Thrilled (Uncle Mo) when second in her Aug. 9 debut over the Saratoga turf. She returned to soundly best that foe by four lengths after pressing the pace in the Sept. 3 P.G. Johnson S. last time out. Thrilled was subsequently a nosed-out second in the Sept. 27 GIII Miss Grillo S.

Jockey Junior Alvarado admitted it wasn’t the plan to be so far back in Wednesday’s Jessamine S.

“She wasn’t getting hold of the track the first part of the race,” Alvarado explained. “I didn’t want to get after her too early; I wanted to let her get comfortable and let her pick up ground. By the end, she was much the best.”

Trainer Bill Mott was pleased with his filly’s ability to come from off the pace.

“It’s nice to see that she’s versatile enough to come from back in the pack like she did,” Mott said. “She struggled with ground early and once she got down the backside, she got a little better, a little better. When [Alvarado] turned for home, she turned on the after-burners and was good enough to run them down. I thought we could be laying third or fourth in the race. There looked like there were two obvious speed horses. I thought we would be laying right behind them. It didn’t work out that way, but I’m glad the filly took care of it.”

Mott said Harmonize would likely take her spot in the Breeders’ Cup starting gate, where she could also face Jessamine runner-up Sapphire Kitten.

“We were really pleased with the race,” trainer Joe Sharp said of Sapphire Kitten’s effort. “It was her first time around two turns and the winner had already been around two turns. We were impressed with the way our filly was passed at the eighth pole and battled back inside. Hopefully, that was enough to get us in the Breeders’ Cup because I think we have a legitimate contender. She definitely moved forward today.”

Larkin Armstrong, who is breeder Jack Swain’s primary bloodstock agent, signed the ticket at $15,000 to acquire Harmonize’s dam Mesa Fresca (Sky Mesa), in foal to Badge of Silver, at the 2011 Keeneland November sale. Armstrong purchased Harmonize for $80,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale. The 8-year-old Mesa Fresca is a half-sister to Maya (Capote), the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Al Khali (Medaglia d’Oro) and to stakes winner and graded stakes placed Japan (Medaglia d’Oro). She produced a colt by Hat Trick (Jpn) in 2014, a colt by Animal Kingdom in 2015 and was bred back to Scat Daddy this spring.

Wednesday, Keeneland
JPMORGAN CHASE JESSAMINE S.-GIII, $150,000, KEE, 10-7, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.19, fm.
1–@HARMONIZE, 120, f, 2, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: Mesa Fresca, by Sky Mesa
2nd Dam: Mayan Maiden, by Lyphard
3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
($80,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-Larkin Armstrong; B-Jack Swain (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $166,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”brookdale-8th-graded-stakes-winner-raised-by-brookdale”][bullet ad=”brookdale-foaled-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]
2–Sapphire Kitten, 118, f, 2, Kitten’s Joy–Shining Jewel, by Gulch. O/B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Joe Sharp. $30,000.[bullet ad=”eqb-eqb-cardio-scan-and-auction-client”][bullet ad=”margaux-farm-starting-and-training-grad”]
3–Outsider Art, 118, f, 2, Five Star Day–Pepita, by Vicar. O-Delmar L. Pettigrew; B-Martha & Del Pettigrew (KY); T-Jonathan E. Sheppard. $15,000.[bullet ad=”webb-carroll-another-wctc-grad”]
Margins: NK, 4HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 9.20, 13.90.
Also Ran: Lilly’s Dream, Family Tree, Inconclusive, Clare View, Moms Choice, Theory of Change, Delicate Lady, Precious Love, Come to Mischief, Tia Flor, Carleigh Belle. Scratched: La Piba, Felt in Pocket.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.