Emerging filly Harvest Moon handles stakes debut in Torrey Pines

Making her stakes debut, Harvest Moon was impressive again Saturday in winning Del Mar’s Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes.

Harvest Moon, a 3-year-old Uncle Mo filly, improved to 4: 3-0-1 with the Torrey Pines victory. The Simon Callaghan trainee entered off a sharp July 27 victory in an allowance optional claiming race over the same Del Mar course.

Six sophomore fillies contested Saturday’s Torrey Pines, a one-mile stakes over the main track. Secret Keeper went out to a lead and set the first quarter-mile in :22.13, while Provocation moved up on the backstretch to make the half-mile in :45.93.

Secret Keeper, the 2-1 second choice in the betting, went back out front coming through the far turn. Harvest Moon, the 3-2 post-time favorite, moved up to challenge her from the outside under jockey Flavien Prat.

The two fillies dueled down the stretch, with Harvest Moon pulling ahead to win by a length. She covered the mile in 1:36.87 for a win that returned $5. Paige Anne ran third behind the top two.

Alice Bamford bred Harvest Moon and campaigns the Kentucky-bred alongside Michael Tabor.

“I’m completely over the moon,” Bamford told TVG. “Harvest Moon did it today for us. Very surreal times, but everyone’s come together so well. …

“She’s a big girl, a fine filly and Simon has really taken his time with her. She started racing at 3. She did it for her mama today. We lost her mama foaling, Qaraaba, earlier this year. Harvest Moon is the carbon copy of her mama and we’re thrilled for this.”