Far Bridge and Joel Rosario take the Man o’ War (NYRA/Coglianese)
Mary Eddy/NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – LSU Stables’ Far Bridge added the Grade 2, $400,000 Man o’ War to his impressive resume with a one-length triumph in Saturday’s 1 3/8-mile inner turf route for older horses at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Christophe Clement, the 5-year-old son of English Channel is a perfect 2-for-2 on the year after kicking off his campaign with a narrow score in the Grade 3 Pan American on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. Last year, he stamped himself as the leader of this division with Grade 1 victories in the Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer at Saratoga Race Course and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont at the Big A ahead of an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf in November at Del Mar.
Clement, who earned his third Man o’ War victory after sending out Gio Ponti to back-to-back wins in 2009-10, said the inside trip engineered by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario benefitted the now well-seasoned Far Bridge in the field of five.
“Very tactical, short field. Joel rode a great race,” Clement said. “To train, he has never been an issue, but in his races, he seems to be more mature [this year]. Going up the inside, he has the rail and if he has the rail to help him, he’s always good. It’s when he’s in the middle of something [there can be an issue], but when he’s on the rail, no problem.”
Far Bridge broke alertly from post 3, but settled in third along the inside as Decanted took command from Capture the Flag through the first turn to mark the opening quarter-mile in 24.92 seconds over the good footing.
“We always have a plan – it looked like we were going to be forwardly placed, but it looked like the other couple of horses on the outside had a little more speed than me,” Rosario explained. “They did. So I tried to put him in a good spot and put him for a clear run when it was time to go.”
Decanted held a comfortable lead over Capture the Flag into the backstretch and through the half-mile in 49.99 before Hall of Famer John Velazquez coaxed Capture the Flag to match strides with Decanted at the front with three-quarters elapsing in 1:15.58. While those two battled on the lead, Rosario saw a seam open on the rail and seized his opportunity to send Far Bridge up the inside approaching the turn, slightly pinching a tiring Decanted before he quickly faded to the rear of the field after the mile in 1:40.31.
“It looked like there was an opportunity to go in there, and he did,” Rosario said of the move up the rail. “He didn’t mind that, so it was great.”
A loaded Far Bridge was a strong leader at the top of the lane after the two frontrunners backpedaled, but Anglophile – a last-out third in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland – put in a bid three-wide under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano to loom a threat after 10 furlongs in 2:04.96. Anglophile gained steadily down the center of the course, but a confident Rosario peeked back to see a big enough cushion to sustain a strong hand ride to the finish, never going to his stick as Far Bridge crossed the wire first in a final time of 2:17.24.
The rallying Padiddle finished five lengths behind Anglophile for third with Capture the Flag and Decanted completing the order of finish.
Clement said the tactical Far Bridge, who has won both as the pacesetter and in stalking fashion, was best served by a patient trip today over a softer turf course.
“He can go to the lead, but I did not want him to go to the lead because I was a little bit worried about the ground,” Clement explained. “The horse that finished third in the Elkhorn the other day I thought he ran a very good race, to tell you the truth – so, I was worried about moving a little too early and him coming to catch us. The ride was perfect. The other horse had the whole stretch to catch us, and he just couldn’t catch us.”
Castellano, aboard the Brian Lynch-trained Anglophile, said the son of English Channel lost nothing in defeat.
“I had a beautiful trip. I saved all the ground every step of the way,” Castellano said. “I tipped outside to go with the other horse [Far Bridge]. I tried to catch up but it was second best today. He [Far Bridge] was the best horse in the race, and he got through inside the three-eighths pole and dictated the pace. It was hard to catch up. He got through by the quarter-pole at the top of the stretch. Much the best was that horse. Second best today.”
Far Bridge is one of three top contenders in this division for Clement, who also trains multiple graded stakes-winner Deterministic and dual Grade 1-winner Carson’s Run, who finished a respective first and second in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 3 here.
Clement said Far Bridge will now target the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan on June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, while Deterministic and Carson’s Run could also come under consideration for the 1 3/16-mile turf route for older horses.
“Let’s train them and see where they go,” Clement concluded. “[Far Bridge] goes to the Manhattan for sure. It’s a good problem to have, by the way.”
Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Far Bridge banked $220,000 in victory while improving his lifetime record to 16-8-3-2, which also includes an additional Grade 1 score in the Belmont Derby Invitational as a sophomore when in the care of Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher. He returned $2.60 on a $2 win ticket as the 1-4 mutuel favorite.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
